


The Contract

by taegyuuwu



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Angst?, Best Friends Choi Beomgyu & Choi Yeonjun & Choi Soobin, Choi Beomgyu-Centric, Cliche, Denial of Feelings, Fluff, M/M, developing feelings, stray kids cameos - Freeform, violence?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:40:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 33,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26438854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taegyuuwu/pseuds/taegyuuwu
Summary: They were strangers, yet they were about to have an arranged marriage.Choi BeomgyuA boy with two sides of him . He can be nice if he wants to, but when you mess with him, he will not hesitate to fight back.Kang TaehyunThere are three words to describe him. Bipolar, egotistical, player. Your typical jerk, just, maybe not so much of a jerk actually. Despite the facade he puts on, you'll get to know the real him after some time.The two were against this marriage, and were forced to sign a marriage contract with three terms.They swore to each other that they would not fall for each other and after that one year, they will part ways, but one of the factors in the laws of attraction is proximity, and what are the chances of not taking a liking to someone who you share the same bedroom with?
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu/Kang Taehyun
Comments: 65
Kudos: 139





	1. Chapter 1

Guess what? Someone dropped a bomb on Beomgyu today. Not literally, but well...it was to him.

His grandpa turned 100 this year. His family members were all glad that his grandpa could live to such a ripe age, but his grandpa suddenly collapsed last week. The doctor said something about a weak heart and that he didn't have much time left. It came as a shock to all of us. He was a very fit and healthy old man.

Today, Beomgyu family visited his grandpa in the hospital and his grandpa requested to talk to him, alone. Beomgyu was curious as to what his grandpa wanted to talk about, but never have he thought that this was what his grandpa wanted to say.

"Beomgyu, you're 19 this year, right?" He asked, but before Beomgyu had a chance to respond, he continued. "Please, fulfill grandpa's death wish," he said in a weak voice, seeming out of breath. Now, how could Beomgyu reject a dying man's last wish?

"What is it grandpa?" Beomgyu asked with a frown. "Promise me you'll do it first," his grandpa told him weakly. "I'll do it. What is it?" Beomgyu replied without hesitation.

"Please marry... Uncle Kang's grandson."

"What?!" Beomgyu exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Beom, I'm sorry this came at such short notice. But you have to fulfill grandpa's last wish, alrig—" Before his grandpa could finish his sentence, the heart monitor sounded with a piercing flat sound. The constant breaks between the beeping of the monitor was no longer present.

"Wait grandpa, no, wake up!" Beomgyu shouted as he reached out for the emergency button.

*

His grandpa passed away that evening. Beomgyu mom and dad didn't ask him what his grandpa wanted to talk about earlier that day. Beomgyu could sense that they already knew.

*

It has been a week since his grandpa's death. They all went to the funeral and sent grandpa on his way. They grieved, but they all knew that grandpa was in a better place.

*

After all the happenings, Beomgyu thought that the promise he made about the marriage with uncle Kang's grandson was forgotten, but he was wrong. That day, while he was cleaning his room, his mom came to look for him. She said that she wanted to talk.

_Oh boy._


	2. Chapter 2

"What's up?" Beomgyu asked his mom, mind filled with dread, as he made his way to his bed which she was sitting on, her legs crossed.

"Honey, take a seat first," mom said calmly and he did as he was told and sat in front of her.

"I know this may come as a surprise, but—" mom started but he cut her off.

"Is it about the arranged marriage with uncle Kang's grandson?" Beomgyu asked his mom in all seriousness.

His mom nodded. "You're not really expecting me to marry a guy who I've never even met right?" he asked incredulously. "Honey, I know it’s a difficult request, but didn't you promise your grandfather that you'll do so on his deathbed?" His mom asked.

Beomgyu heart sunk. When he promised his grandpa, he never expected his grandpa to request such a thing from him.

"Your grandpa was a man who always keeps his promise. Many years ago, grandpa's business was at the risk of failing, but uncle Kang, one of grandpa's business partners, who then became his good friend, came to his aid. He promised uncle Kang to marry his grandson to his grandson in hopes that they could become in-laws. Uncle Kang died a few years after you were born, but your grandpa, still remembered his promise to his dear friend. Your grandpa was a little reluctant and he tried to hold it off, wait till you were older before telling you of your arranged marriage and eventually he only told it to you at the last point of his life," Beomgyu mom explained.

"Have I met uncle Kang's grandson?" Beomgyu asked his mom once. She nodded, "you guys have met when you were younger. Taehyun's parents are our business partners and when they came over for meetings they would bring Taehyun along and both of you would play in the backyard."

Beomgyu couldn't recall anything but he just listened to what his mom had to say. "I have not seen Taehyun since his parents sent him abroad for studies but I believe he's still that sweet boy that he was. In fact, I heard that he has become a handsome young man." his mom wriggled her brows at Beomgyu and he laughed. "Mom, I doubt I'll want to marry him just because he's handsome, and time changes lots of things. What if he's not the sweet young boy that he used to be anymore?" Beomgyu voiced his concerns.

Beomgyu decided to accept his fate. There's nothing he can do about it except, maybe run away from home but that's a little extreme, for him.

"Honey, you do not have to worry, you'll be meeting him soon. In fact, we're having dinner with his family today," his mom told him. "And you only told me that now?" Beomgyu gave her a look causing his mom to laugh. "Get yourself ready then." his mom told Beomgyu and left his room.

As soon as Beomgyu was left alone, the jitters came to him. Was he about to meet his soon-to-be-fiance? He pretty against an arranged marriage but who was he to say anything when he himself did not even have a boyfriend.

That's right. He is Choi Beomgyu, 19 this year have never had an actual boyfriend. Pretty sad, he know, but as the heir to the Choi Empire, he couldn't exactly just have a boyfriend.

Those who approach him always have hidden motives and Beomgyu guarded towards those he meet. That, he learnt first-hand. Beomgyu may have many friends sure, but exactly how many are sincere in being his friends. This is exactly why he only keeps one to two close friends by his side.

Just then, the phone rings. He sees his two best friends calling him, Soobin and Yeonjun requesting a video call. He accepted the call immediately after plopping down on his bed. It had been days since Beomgyu talked to them since he was busy with his grandpa's funeral.

"Hey," Beomgyu greeted them once he saw their faces on the screen. "What's up." "Yo Beom." Come their replies instantaneously.

"How are you coping?" Soobin asked concernedly. "Pretty well, I guess, but before grandpa died, he asked me to fulfill one of his last wishes," Beomgyu told them. "What is it?" Yeonjun asked curiously and Beomgyu started to tell them all about the arranged marriage.

"What?" Both of them exclaimed at the same time after he finished. "Yeah, that was my first reaction when I heard that," Beomgyu said. "Are you really going with the arrangement?" Soobin asked Beomgyu with a frown and he shrugged, "you know I can't exactly do anything about it." Both of them agreed with a sigh.

Soobin and Yeonjun were all heir to their family's businesses and they understood what Beomgyu faced one way or another.

"Beom, the Kang family are coming in an hour," His mom called out from outside his door and his eyes widened. Beomgyu totally forgot about it.

"Guys, I'll talk to you later. I would be meeting the Kang family for dinner and I have not gotten myself ready yet," Beomgyu rushed out. Yeonjun and Soobin both looked surprised but didn't question him further. "Good luck," Soobin wished me while Yeonjun asked him to call them after dinner.

After agreeing, he ended the call. An hour left before he will be meeting the guy who he was to have an arranged marriage with. Beomgyu hope he's a nice person. ****

With that, He rushed to the bathroom to have a bath before dressing himself up appropriately.


	3. Chapter 3

Beomgyu looked at his reflection in the full length mirror. He thinks he looked okay. He had worn a plain white shirt with dark denim jeans. He doubt that the dinner would be a formal one and just opted for jeans instead of something extravagant as it was a safer option.

His heart was beating faster than usual. He took a deep breath before making his way to the dining room where form the chatter, He could guess that all the guests had arrived.

His mother smiled to him from the table when he walked into the room. "This is my son, Beomgyu" she introduced when Beomgyu walked up to her. He politely bowed his head to greet the guests. "Hello, you can call me aunt Jihyun," a woman who seemed to be in her forties stood up and shook his hand. She must be Mrs Kang. "Kang Taejin," Mr Kang introduced himself and shook Beomgyu hand next.

Beomgyu eyes travelled to the right and landed on warm brown ones. "Taehyun," he said and shook Beomgyu hand last, with a smirk.

His mom was right. Taehyun was good looking. Very good looking. His red hair was swept to the left messily. He had a sharp jawline, big beautiful eyes that shrunk a little when he smiled, perfect pink lips which made Beomgyu sigh with envy. Not to mention his row of straight, white teeth when he smiled. Beomgyu quickly took his eyes off Taehyun before he could realize that Beomgyu was staring at him.

After taking his seat opposite Taehyun. Beomgyu mom began to bring in plates of food from the kitchen. The food was pretty delicious but Beomgyu felt uncomfortable throughout the whole dinner as he felt a pair of eyes on him. Beomgyu tried to ignore Taehyun's staring but he couldn't.

Feeling the urge to escape his constant stares, Beomgyu excused himself to go the toilet. After he was done, Beomgyu was about to return to the dining room, when he got stopped by someone.

"Taehyun?" Beomgyu voiced out uncertainly as Taehyun inched closer to him trapping him between the walls. "The arranged marriage, call it off," Taehyun told Beomgyu in a low voice, rather dangerously too. "Do you think I want to be in an arranged marriage? I can't do anything about it," Beomgyu said bravely after finding his voice.

They had a long stare down, neither of them wanting to back down but to be honest, Taehyun stare intimidated Beomgyu and deep down, he was trembling a little. "Fine. Don't blame me when things don't do your way," Taehyun said in his low voice again and backed away, walking off in the direction of the dining room.

Beomgyu was left alone with his racing heart. _Sweet?_ He scoffed to himself. Taehyun is the exact opposite of sweet. "Great, now I have to marry someone like that?" Beomgyu muttered to himself.

"Honey, what's taking you so long? Dessert's serving," Beomgyu mom said when she saw him catching his breath while leaning on the wall. "Oh yes, okay," He muttered out before making his way back to the dining room.

When dinner was over, both their families had a talk in the living room. What did you think they talked about?

That's right. The arranged marriage. Beomgyu was hoping that the Mr. and Mrs. Kang would find that the idea of an arranged marriage ridiculous and call it off, but his hopes went down the drain when both of their parents started to discuss about their marriage enthusiastically.

"Beom dear, what's got you frowning?" Beomgyu mom asked when she saw his face and he was about to shake his head when he saw Taehyun give him a look that seemed to ask him to say something. "I...I don't want an arranged marriage," Beomgyu voiced out the thoughts in his mind.

Beomgyu know that he said he accepted his fate, but what he originally thought was a marriage with a nice guy, not someone like Taehyun.

Beomgyu mom frowned and was about to say something when Taehyun said, "me too. I don't want an arranged marriage as well." Upon hearing that, frowns appeared on both their parents' faces.

"Ok, how about this. Let's draw up a marriage contract," Mrs. Kang suggested and Beomgyu mom's eyes lit up when she heard that. "Yes, you two have to be married for a year. If you don't develop feelings for one another after a year..." Beomgyu mom started but stopped to let the rest of the parents continue the sentence.

"We'll allow you guys to divorce," Mr. Kang continued. Both Taehyun and Beomgyu eyebrows rose up. _That's pretty easy, they can just stay away from each other and do whatever they wanted for that one year and after that, just—_

"However, you guys have to stay together," Beomgyu father added. _Okay...Beomgyu think he can tolerate living under the same roof as Taehyun, as long as they do not need to sleep together in the same r—_

"In the same room," Mr. Kang said.

"And attend the same school," Beomgyu father added.

... _Beomgyu think his plans_ _just got ruined._


	4. Chapter 4

"What?" Both of them exclaimed upon hearing the conditions.

"Mom. Aren't there other options?" Taehyun asked his mom, frustration lacing his features.

"Either sign the contract, or you'll have to provide for yourself," Mrs Kang replied.

"Same for you too Beom," Beomgyu mom told him with a small frown on her forehead.

"I'll sign it," Beomgyu resigned. He wasn't ready to provide for himself, yet. College life is hectic enough, and he doubts that a part time job would be able to cover his school fees.

"Me too," Taehyun muttered before walking out of the room.

"Excellent," Mrs Kang exclaimed, clasping both her hands together. "I'll prepare the contract then?" Mrs Kang addressed Beomgyu parents and they nodded. "Thanks, I'm looking forward to being in-laws," His mother said smiling.

The parents then sat down and chatted over some tea while Beomgyu was left pondering where Taehyun had gone to.

"Excuse me, I'll go outside for some fresh air," He excused himself before making his way to the garden.

**_*_ **

Taehyun was pacing in the garden and enjoying the chilly, night breeze when he heard footsteps. He groaned in frustration. _Why couldn't they leave him alone?_

He didn't want an arranged marriage. Who would want to get married at 18? And to a random boy whom he just met a few hours ago?

Beomgyu was handsome, sure, but he's just another spoilt, rich brat. Taehyun know he shouldn't judge a book by the cover but that's his first impression of Beomgyu.

Spoilt boy aren't his type at all. They're just plain annoying.

Taehyun heard a gasp from behind him and turned around to see the boy that he was thinking about. Beomgyu.

"Sorry," he murmured in a low voice before turning around. Taehyun frowned. _What's he sorry for?_

"Aaaaaahhh," a scream came from Beomgyu as he saw Beomgyu slip on the wet ground. Taehyun didn't know what came over him but he broke Beomgyu fall by catching him and in the end, both of them ended up on the ground with Beomgyu on top of Taehyun.

Beomgyu eyes were shut tightly as Taehyun peered at him. Beomgyu had a raven, fluffy hair that he wished to runs his finger through it, a long lashes, a pointed nose and soft, pink lips.

Beomgyu's eyes fluttered open and by the width of it, Taehyun could sense that Beomgyu was shocked. They stared at each other for a moment before Taehyun decided to ruin the moment with a smirk.

"Are you lost in my eyes?" He teased and Beomgyu eyes widened even further.

"I—I’m sorry," Beomgyu apologised again before standing up. Just when Taehyun thought that Beomgyu would leave, he reached a hand out to Taehyun. His brows shot up. "Come on, get up," Beomgyu urged with a little smile and Taehyun took Beomgyu hand as he pulled Taehyun up.

"Thanks," both of them said at the same time and Beomgyu scratched his neck sheepishly while Taehyun let out an amused smile.

_Maybe. Just maybe, he misjudged Beomgyu._

****

**_*_ **

_Did he misjudge Taehyun?_

Maybe he wasn't as bad as Beomgyu thought Taehyun would be. Taehyun caught him and broke his fall previously. Beomgyu didn't expect that.

The Kang family had left and Beomgyu was back in his room thinking about the events of that day when his phone rings.

It must be Soobin and Yeonjun. He walked over to his phone and seeing their names on the screen confirmed his thoughts.

He accepted the call to hear them excitedly bombarding him questions about the meeting with the Kangs.

"Calm down guys, I'll answer your questions one by one," He laughed and Yeonjun immediately asked, "Firstly, on a scale of 1 to 10, how's the son?"

Yeonjun question brought a little smile to Beomgyu face. "Maybe an 8?"

"Woah, that's pretty high, but where did that 2 go?" Soobin asked. Beomgyu pondered over Soobin question. "No idea, I just feel that he's an 8." Beomgyu said.

"Is he hot?" Yeonjun asked and Beomhyu nodded. "Pretty good looking." "How's his personality?" Soobin enquired.

"I don't know. He does seem nice sometimes," Beomgyu shrugged.

"Sometimes?" They both looked confused. "When I first met him, he seemed kinda scary, but after that, he did save me from a fall," Beomgyu told them.

They nodded before asking about the arranged marriage.

Beomgyu then told them about how both he and Taehyun refused and about the contract.

"What? You have to live with him?" Yeonjun exclaimed, shock etched in his features. Beomgyu nodded, "or else my mom will not provide for me anymore."

"Wow...but you're her only son, will she really be that harsh on you?" Soobin asked with a frown and Beomgyu shrugged, "I don't know, but I rather not risk it."

After chatting for a little while more about random stuff, Beomgyu ended the call as his mother came into my room.

"Beom dear, please clear out your schedule for tomorrow, we're going to look at wedding suits," his mother told him and his eyes widened, "that quickly?"

She nodded with a smile. "Mrs Kang and I would like to settle the marriage as soon as possible."

"Why the rush?" Beomgyu asked.

His mother had a little frown on her face as she said, "well...Mrs Kang would like you to tame her son."

"What?" Beomgyu asked, unsure of what his mother meant. "Mrs Kang thinks that you'll be able to change Taehyun, you'll know soon." his mother left it at that as she left his room after bidding him goodnight.

_Tame Taehyun? What's wrong with him that Beomgyu have to change him?_

These are the thoughts in Beomgyu head as he drifted off to sleep that night.


	5. Chapter 5

The next few days passed by in a blur as the wedding preparations got busy. Both their families are intending a small, but grand wedding which was something Beomgyu didn't get at all.

Why the need for a grand wedding when Taehyun and him were just going to split after a year? Do their parents really think they'll be able to develop feelings for one another? That thought is ridiculous. No, in fact, this whole thing was.

Beomgyu sighed for the thousandth time as he put on yet another suit design that Mrs Kang and his mother wanted him to try on.

Beomgyu intended to choose two suits, one for the wedding and the other for the party after it. Although the wedding was a month away, he had yet to decide on the suits that he wanted as all of them were really pretty.

He stepped out of the changing room for the upteempth time, and his eyes widened when he saw that other than his mother and Mrs Kang, who had insisted that she wanted to see Beomgyu try on the suit, there was the presence of a third person.

His eyes caught Beomgyu as he looked up from his phone and they widened. Beomgyu looked away quickly so that he wouldn't be caught staring at Taehyun.

"How's this one?" Beomgyu asked, unsure when both his mother and Mrs Kang turned to Taehyun to ask for his opinion. He had returned his attention to the game he was playing and just gave a shrug. "It's okay," he said.

Beomgyu shrugged as well. Maybe this suit didn't really catch Taehyun eye.

Beomgyu pulled the curtains of the changing room closed and tried the last suits with a different design. After this, he would have to choose the final suits that he wanted to wear on the wedding itself as his measurements would need to be taken and the suits had to be altered to fit him perfectly.

*

This suit was one of the few that caught his eye and he had wanted to try it on so badly. It had a white lace coat with a tint of gold and intricate patterns sewn on the sheer and delicate outermost layer of fabric. The coat hugged his figure and accentuated his curves nicely. The beneath with a long sleeves polo with a white ribbons on the end of the sleeve, a light pink ribbons tied around the collar with a white mini corset belt on his waist, the shape his slim figure, ending with a white pants and black shoes.

This suit was perfect, Beomgyu eyes sparkled as he admired the simple yet elegant suit on the mirror, and he was excited to pull the curtain apart to show the little audience outside.

He pulls the curtain aside. Both Mrs Kang and his mother’s lips stretched out to form wide grins.

"This is it," his mother marveled and Mrs Kang clasped her hand together. "Son, what do you think?" She addressed Taehyun. He looked up at Beomgyu and their eyes meet. It was like time stood still as their eyes locked onto each other's.

 _Why was Taehyun looking at him with such intensity?_ Beomgyu was thinking to himself when a voice called out, causing Taehyun to look away sheepishly and he nodded, "it suits you." before he continue to the game on his phone.

Beomgyu shrugged to no one in particular before pulling the curtain aside.

He pulled the curtains and changed out of the suit. Now that he had decided on the suit he wanted for the wedding, he should pick out the one he want for the party. Beomgyu scanned through the suit he had tried on previously and his eyes landed on the simple grey suit.

This suit had checkered light grey coat and matching pants and the beneath was white collar long sleeve shirt with red velvet necktie. He loved this piece as well, this would do.

After changing into his casual clothes which consisted of a denim jacket and grey long sleeve shirt inside pair with black jeans, Beomgyu exited the changing room.

His measurements were then taken by the shop assistant who told us that the suit would be ready in a week.

After that, all of them left to look at the apartments that he and Taehyun were going to stay in.

Thinking about it makes Beomgyu shudder and he was dreading it already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't know if people really choose a wedding suits like choosing a wedding dress but yeah i describe it like that...heh


	6. Chapter 6

Beomgyu turned the ignition of his car off after he had parked his black Porche at the parking lot. He was meeting his best friends today after not seeing them for a week.

Yesterday, he and Taehyun had chosen the apartment that they were supposed to be living in together. It was a pent house and was located near the college that Beomgyu was attending. Taehyun would be transferring into that college soon.

"Hey" Beomgyu greeted Yeonjun and Soobin who were chatting with a drink in their hand. "How was the suit fitting?" They asked excitedly when they saw Beomgyu.

"I've chosen the two suits," Beomgyu smiled as he told them about the suits that he had chosen. He had wanted to ask them along to choose the suits with him but they were busy and didn't have the time.

"You're all free tonight right?" Yeonjun asked and Soobin and Beomgyu nodded. "Why?" He asked curiously and Yeonjun suggested "Let's have a boy's night out!" To which Soobin and Beomgyu agreed by nodding their heads and cheering.

"Let's go shopping first," Yeonjun said as he looped his arms between Soobin's and Beomgyu’s, dragging them to the stores that they frequently visited.

"Try this," Yeonjun said as passed Beomgyu a hoodie. They had entered the clothing shop and were shopping for new cloths since Yeonjun and Soobin wanted some new cloths. As Beomgyu rarely dress up, he was just looking around for any hoodies or jackets to try on. Beomgyu found a oversized grey hoodie that he interested in. "It's nice, right?" Yeonjun asked and Beomgyu nodded. He took the grey hoodie. Some of his hoodie back at home had already become downsize on him and he cannot fitted in them anymore.

After Yeonjun and Soobin had chosen the cloth that they wanted, all three of them went to the cashier to pay for their items.

The next stop was Louis Vuitton as Soobin wanted to get a birthday present for his mother. After looking at the different handbag that the store offers, Soobin decided on a simple rose colored sling bag with an LV clasp in the centre would be nice for his mother.

*

Time always flies when you're having fun and soon, it was time for the last stop of the day, a nightclub. Although there were lots of people lining up at the entrance to enter the club , Yeonjun, the party boy among the three of them, managed to get them into the club without any trouble with the help of one of his friend that work at the club.

Beomgyu eyes squinted as he stepped into the dark room with multi-coloured strobe lights illuminating the sweaty, dancing bodies on the dance floor. Music was blasting from the speakers and it seemed like the room shook from its loudness.

"Hey let's get some drinks," Beomgyu shouted over the music and his friends agreed, the three of them walking over to the bar counter. After they downed their drinks, they made their way to the dance floor. Beomgyu could feel the alcohol hitting his system, as he wasn't a very good drinker and 1 glass is enough to get him a little tipsy.

He moved his body to the rhythm of the music, dancing without a care in the world. Beomgyu felt many pairs of eyes on him but he didn't care, he was enjoying himself too much to do so.

His legs soon ached from the amount of dancing he did and he walked over to the bar, both of his friends already out of sight. He ordered another glass of martini and was slowly sipping it when he felt a few taps on his shoulder.

He turned around to see Soobin looking at him excitedly, his finger pointing towards someone. Beomgyu brows quirked and he looked at the direction Soobin was pointing and Beomgyu jaw dropped.

There, standing at a height of 5"10 was a guy by the name of Taehyun. "He's hot isn't he?" Yeonjun joined in with Soobin's small fangirling session and Beomgyu rolled his eyes, shouting over the music, "He’s Taehyun!."

"What?!" They both exclaimed, wide eyed. Beomgyu shrugged, as he watched a blonde woman wearing a red skimpy dress walk up to Taehyun. They both flirted for a while before making out. Beomgyu scrunched his eyes in disgust and turned to his friends.

"Good luck to me, I guess" Beomgyu said with a roll of his eyes, earning sympathetic looks from his friends.

With a sigh, Beomgyu took another sip of the martini, thinking about the hard times awaiting him.

_He will need all the luck he can get._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you might see that i have an obsession with the grey, heh...btw the oversized grey hoodie that Beomgyu wear in the latest vlive looks so good on him


	7. Chapter 7

"Phew finally it’s done," Beomgyu heaved a sigh of relief as he plopped down on the whitish-greyish sofa in the living room.

The movers had just finished moving his belongings into the apartment that both of them were supposed to be sharing and he was exhausted from all the unpacking he had to do.

Beomgyu looked around the room, impressed by the work of the interior designer. This whole place had a neutral colour scheme, and the feature that he loved the most was the floor length windows behind him. He could see the beautiful skyline beyond them. Yawning, he lied down on the sofa and was about to fall asleep when he was brought to his senses by someone hissing at him.

"Hey, moves it," Taehyun frowned while looking at Beomgyu. Rolling his eyes, Beomgyu propped himself up and made space for Taehyun. _Why can't he sit on the other side of the sofa where there's abundant space?_

"There you are, are you two satisfied with this place?" Beomgyu mom came into the living room with Mrs Kang in tow after viewing the apartment. Both of them nodded as Mrs Kang placed two sheets of paper in front of them.

"This is the contract," Mrs Kang told both of them, placing a fountain pen on the table. Heaving a deep sigh, Beomgyu picked up the fountain pen, his hand coming into contact with Taehyun's as he was about to lift the pen up as well.

Both of them narrowed their eyes at each other and did not want to let go of the pen. "Haven't you heard of ladies first?" Beomgyu asked him and he shook his head, "you're not even a lady in the beginning with. Haven't you heard of first come first served?" He retorted and Beomgyu stomped on Taehyun feet, causing him to let go of the pen for a second. Beomgyu took the chance to uncap the pen and sign on the papers as Taehyun shot daggers at him.

Throwing him a triumphant grin, Beomgyu placed the pen on the piece of paper in front of Taehyun and handed the contract to Mrs Kang, who was looking at both of them amusedly. After Taehyun was done signing, he too, handed the contract to his mother and after wishing Taehyun and him luck, both of their mothers left.

Feeling his head growing heavier, Beomgyu made his way to the bedroom and was about to get into bed when he felt arms wrapped around his waist, lifting him off the ground. "Hey! What are you doing?" Beomgyu exclaimed, thrashing around in Taehyun's arm when he heard Taehyun low voice in his ear, Taehyun breath tickling him. "Who said you can use the bed?"

"Didn't you say first come first served?" Beomgyu challenged and Taehyun let out a small chuckle. "Fine, I'll let you have the bed today," he relented and Beomgyu gave a fist pump at that, surprised that Taehyun would back down so easily. "But tomorrow, the bed's mine," he said, his arms still around Beomgyu waist. He finally let Beomgyu go and just when he thought that it was the end of their conversation, Taehyun added, "I think that there are some rules we have to set."

Beomgyu turned around to face him, his eyebrows raised. "Firstly, we act like strangers in school. Secondly, no one from school can know about the contract. Lastly, never interfere with my life," Taehyun listed. Beomgyu nodded, "rest assured, I'll be glad to pretend not to know you and I have no interest in your life," Beomgyu told him. "Since we're at this, I have a rule too," Beomgyu said. "If you touch me, you're dead." he narrowed his eyes at Taehyun and he smirked, "I wouldn't do so even if you begged me." With that, Taehyun left the room and Beomgyu huffed. _How am I going to live with such a jerk?_

Putting aside his thoughts, Beomgyu crawled into bed. His eyes flickering into darkness as slept took over.

His parched throat woke him up in the middle of the night and he forced himself out of bed to get some water. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he walks lazily to the kitchen and he saw Taehyun sleeping on the sofa soundly, curled up like a baby. Shaking his head, he grabbed a blanket and placed it over Taehyun before making his way back to the kitchen.

After quenching his thirst, he went back to bed and was out as soon as his head hit the pillows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes..grey again


	8. Chapter 8

Noisy chatters could be heard as three of them walked through the school hallways. Beomgyu could make out some of the words the girls were saying. Something about a new student?

"Hey, have you heard?" Yeonjun spoke up, getting Soobin's and his attention. "The new student?" Soobin asked and Yeonjun nodded. "Do you know who he or she is?" Beomgyu asked them and they shook their heads. "I just heard that it’s a he," Yeonjun told them and one person came to Beomgyu mind.

_Could it be_

His question was answered when he saw the person that he was thinking of walking down the hallways. Yeonjun nudged him and he turned to see Yeonjun looking at Taehyun with an open mouth. "He's even hotter up close," he said and Beomgyu shrugged. "Why didn't you tell us he's attending here?" Soobin asked and Beomgyu smiled sheepishly, "I guess it slipped my mind with all the happenings recently."

He turned his attention back to Taehyun who had a smirk on his face and a crowd of students, both guys and girls included, around him.

_Surprise, surprise, he's popular._

Taehyun walked pass Beomgyu without even looking at him and he could feel a wave of annoyance, but he remembered the rules Taehyun asked him to follow yesterday. _Act like strangers in school._ Fine, so be it.

The bell ringing pulled him out of his thoughts. He and his friends separated their ways, going to their respective classes.

Mathematics lesson was a bore. Mr. Hwang was never an interesting teacher, which also meant that there was almost no one paying attention in class. Beomgyu yawned and rested his head on his hand, wishing time to pass by quickly.

A knock on the door got everyone's attention and Mr. Hwang paused his teaching. Beomgyu jaw dropped when he saw who came in. _Why must he be in my classes too?_ He mentally groaned and rested his head back on the table, not wanting Taehyun to see him.

After Taehyun introduced himself, Mr. Hwang asked him to sit in the empty seat at the back. _Wait...the only empty seat at the back is next to him._

"Oh god." Beomgyu sighed heavily. Lady luck must have not been on his side.

Beomgyu heard the chair beside him being pulled back and the sound of someone sitting on it.

"You can stop hiding now. It’s pretty obvious." he heard an all too familiar mocking voice.

Beomgyu jolted up straight and narrowed his eyes at him. "Aren't you the one who said we should act like strangers?" Beomgyu whispered harshly and he smirked, "I didn't know that you'll take my words so seriously."

"Should I not take it seriously then?" Beomgyu asked him sternly, shooting the deadliest look he could muster and Taehyun burst out laughing. "Hey, stop. What's so funny?" Beomgyu frowned and Taehyun clutched his stomach, pointing at Beomgyu face. "Yo--you should've looked at your face" he said between his laughs and Beomgyu elbowed him in his ribs. "Shut up."

That did the job and he narrowed his eyes at Beomgyu and we had a long stare down like how we always did when we quarreled.

"Mr Kang? What's up with you and Mr Choi?" Mr. Hwang suddenly asked and the both of them looked at him. "Nothing, someone's being annoying," Beomgyu said aloud while Taehyun said, "he's being irritating." Glaring at each other once more, they returned their attention to Mr. Hwang who decided to ignore their little commotion and continued teaching.

Beomgyu was more than happy when he heard the bell ring and he quickly packed up his stuff, cheering at the chance to get away from Taehyun.

Next class was gym. Beomgyu groaned as he wasn't exactly a very fitness-y person. He met up with Yeonjun as we both had gym lessons together and both of them made their way to the locker room to change into their gym cloth.

"Taehyun's in my mathematics class," he told Yeonjun with a sigh as both of them trudged towards the field. "Are you for real?" he asked, eyes widening and Beomgyu nodded. "I wish I have some classes with him too, he's pretty hot," he said dreamily and Beomgyu rolled his eyes at Yeonjun. "What? Don't you think so?" he asked Beomgyu, wriggling his eyebrows. As Beomgyu was about to reply, he caught sight of the familiar figure, the third time in a matter of hours. 

_Taehyun was in his class too? Again?_

"Yeonjun? I think you're wish just came true," Beomgyu told him, not wanting to believe his eyes. Yeonjun turned his head to the direction Beomgyu was looking and gasped, this was then followed by his little squealing session. "Out of all the classes, he has gym class with us?" he cheered. "Nah uh, he has maths with me too," Beomgyu said dejectedly as he watched Taehyun stretch.

_He was hot, Beomgyu admit, but that wouldn't stop him from feeling irritation whenever Beomgyu see him._

After all the students had arrived, coach started to make them run a few laps around the field. Beomgyu could hear some people groaning before they made their way to the edge of the field and he followed behind them with Yeonjun grumbling about the hot weather.

When the laps were done, the class was split into two teams to play dodge ball. He and Yeonjun were in two different teams, Taehyun in Yeonjun's team. Beomgyu heard some of the guys in his team complaining as they had the weaker members within the team. It was true, they were the weaker team. Each team started with two balls each.

A guy named Felix from the opposite team was the first one to throw the ball and it hit a petite brunette in Beomgyu's team, and she was out. Damn, they now have a member less.

Next was Yeonjun and he aimed the ball at Changbin, but he managed to dodge it as he was one of the guys better at sports.

From our team, Chan and Sana aimed the ball at a group of girls from the opposite team but they missed.

Just as Beomgyu was looking at who Mina was aiming, and suddenly something hit his head, hard, before he had any time to react.

Beomgyu head throbbed from the pain as black spots appeared in front of him and it did not take long for his vision to black out as he collapsed on the ground.


	9. Chapter 9

Beomgyu clutched his head as he regained his senses once again, looking around to figure out where he is.

"You're in the infirmary," Beomgyu saw a friendly looking nurse smiling down at him. "You're awake? How are you?" Yeonjun rushed to his side worriedly when Yeonjun saw that he was awake.

"I'm fine, just a little headache," Beomgyu assured him with a small smile. Yeonjun heaved a sigh of relief and Beomgyu asked him what exactly happened.

"Taehyun hit you on the head with the ball," he said with a frown. "What?! That jerk! What have I ever done to him?" Beomgyu said in frustration, pushing himself up from the bed, the action sending his head throbbing. "Calm down, we don't know if he did that accidentally or on purpose," Yeonjun reasoned and he sighed. He was right. "Where is he now?" Beomgyu asked and Yeonjun replied, "I have no idea, he kind of disappeared suddenly."

"It must be on purpose then! He ran as he was guilty," Beomgyu fumed. Yeonjun frowned as he did not agree with Beomgyu reasoning but did not say anything. "Do you need me to send you home?" Yeonjun asked after a moment of silence and he shook his head. "You shouldn't miss lessons. I can ask Uncle Jung to fetch me," Beomgyu told him and he nodded.

"Lunch break is ending, you should get going," Beomgyu said as he looked at the time on the clock. "Thanks for staying with me," he told Yeonjun gratefully and he gave Beomgyu a hug. "What are friends for?" With that, Yeonjun left after wishing him a speedy recovery.

Picking up his phone from the table beside him, he phoned Uncle Jung. Uncle Jung was the chauffeur for his family and he had been with them for five years.

It did not take long for Uncle Jung to arrive and he helped Beomgyu into the back of the black car that he usually uses to drive Beomgyu parents around.

Beomgyu took a rest on the sofa as he thought back to the events of today. _Did he offend Taehyun? He didn't even do anything to Taehyun, but rest assured, He’ll show him that he is not some weakling that Taehyun can push around._

With a new resolve in mind, he planned his revenge against his new enemy who was living in the same house as him.

*

"Hey, how are you?" Taehyun asked, his voice sounding a little worried, when he returned home and Beomgyu ignored him, pretending to be asleep. He was not in the mood to answer to Taehyun pretentious question.

Seeing that Beomgyu was 'asleep', Taehyun lifted him off the sofa, catching him a little by surprise. _What is he going to do?_

His heart started beating faster and he clenched his fist, waiting what was about to come but the only thing that he felt were the soft comforter in the bedroom.

_Did Taehyun just carry him to bed? But why? Didn't Taehyun say he wanted to take the bed today?_

Beomgyu tried to reason with himself, but came up with nothing.

He gave up with thinking and let himself drift off to dreamland.

  
*

The next day at school, Beomgyu thought of all the ways he could get back at Taehyun, but couldn't think of a feasible one. That was, until he heard something.

"I heard the new hot guy joined swimming?" A girl with green highlights in her hair asked her friend. "Yep, I think he has swimming trials today during lunch break," her friend, a pink-haired girl replied.

Beomgyu smirked as a plan came to his. _Taehyun, you'll get what's coming to you._

Beomgyu waited impatiently for lunch break to come and he all but ran out of class as soon as the bell rang.

He brisk walked to the guys’ locker room by the pool and was relieved when he saw that it was empty and he hid in one of the cubicles. Beomgyu am just going to wait till Taehyun is having bath before stealing his clothes. Beomgyu bet he'll be so embarrassed having to walk around in nothing but a towel.

Adrenaline rushed through him as he thought of what a risky thing he was about to do. If someone finds him in here, He going to be sent to the principal's office.

A smile made its way up his face when he heard Taehyun's voice on the other side of the cubicle door.

"Let's take a quick shower. Class is starting soon," a guy whose voice Beomgyu didn't recognize say and Taehyun replied with an ok.

This'll be easy, there are only two of them in here. When Beomgyu heard the door to two cubicles locked, he quietly unlocked his cubicle's door and looked around the locker room.

_Lady luck must have sympathized with him and was  
on his side today. There wasn't a single soul in here._

Walking quietly to Taehyun's locker, which was thankfully unlocked, Beomgyu grabbed the clothes that he saw him put on this morning and rushed out of the locker room.

Beomgyu walked to the nearest bin and dumped his clothes into it, giving myself a pat on his shoulder. _Well done, Gyu._

With that, Beomgyu skipped to class, a triumphant grin spread across his face.


	10. Chapter 10

Beomgyu felt like smacking himself whenever he hears girls gossip about Taehyun's hot body. Apparently, after Beomgyu had stolen his clothes yesterday, Taehyun borrowed a pair of shorts and walked around topless.

Instead of bringing him down, Beomgyu helped his popularity skyrocket. All day, all Beomgyu could hear was how defined Taehyun body looked and how every girl wanted to see them for themselves.

_Dang it._

"Beom!" Yeonjun's shrill voice sounded by his ear and he winced due to its loudness. "What's up with you this morning?" he asked curiously and Yeonjun opened his mouth to speak, just to be interrupted by Soobin who stood beside Yeonjun. "Did you know that apparently Taehyun has a very very very hot body?" He gushed and Yeonjun joined in, "I heard that he walked around topless because someone stole his clothes. I wish I could have seen him then."

Beomgyu rolled his eyes. Not his friends too. He did not tell his friends about his revenge plan against Taehyun as he couldn't find a right time to do so without any listening ears around and now, was definitely not the time. Everyone was curious as to who stole Taehyun's clothes and he heard that the principal is asking for eye witnesses and is hoping that the culprit will own up.

"I wonder who stole his clothes though," Soobin muttered, putting on his thinking face as Yeonjun asked, "Has Taehyun made enemies so quickly?" "Hey, why are you so quiet?" Soobin asked Beomgyu, a frown on his face as he eyed Beomgyu. "I have something to tell you guys," Beomgyu blurted out and pulled them to a corner where there were no students.

"I was the culprit," He whispered, just loud enough for both of them to hear him and they looked at him as if he grew a head. "Oh my god!" Yeonjun exclaimed and Beomgyu clamped a hand over Yeonjun mouth. "Shush, I don't need anybody else finding out," He told Yeonjun in a hushed voice.

"Why did you do that?" Soobin asked him and Beomgyu shrugged, "he started it by hitting me on the head with the ball." His friends did not seem to approve of his revenge plan but what can he do? _What's done is done._

*

Beomgyu was sitting at the back of the room in his History class when Taehyun sat down beside him. Did he tell you? Taehyun had all the same classes as him, except Art. As usual, he ignored Taehyun and took out his notepad and pencil and began doodling.

A minute later, Miss Park walked into class, her face looking stern as always. She was a strict teacher who did not tolerate any sort of disturbance in class, especially public display of affection. Rumors has it that she hates PDA so much as she was unable to find a partner due to her temper and hated when people display their affection for their partners in front of her.

As Miss Park started her lesson, Taehyun moved closer to Beomgyu and said in a voice, only loud enough for him to hear, "I heard about what you've done."

_Shit, did he find out?_

Beomgyu heart skipped a beat and he looked at Taehyun with wide eyes. "Wh--what are you talking about?" Beomgyu asked him, trying to steady his own voice. "You know what I'm talking about," Taehyun gave him a knowing look and he gave Taehyun a defiant look.

"If you're so sure of what you thought I did, why didn't you report me to the principal?" Beomgyu inquired and Taehyun smirked. "That wouldn't be fun."

"What?" Beomgyu frowned at him, puzzled at what he was talking about until Beomgyu felt Taehyun hands on his chin, pulling Beomgyu face closer to his.

"What are you doing?" Beomgyu hissed, glaring at Taehyun as he tried to loosen Taehyun hold on his chin, but failed.

Without warning, Taehyun connect his lips with him, leaving Beomgyu wide-eyed. He stilled and was at a loss until he heard wolf whistles and a loud voice boom. "What are you two doing? Kissing in my class?" Miss Park asked anger evident in her voice. Beomgyu pushed Taehyun away with as much force he could muster and turned around to see Miss Park glaring at them.

"Miss Park, it’s not what it seems like," Beomgyu defended himself just as he heard Taehyun say, "he forced himself on me, I was the victim." "What?" Beomgyu exclaimed, glaring at Taehyun. "No! He forced himself on me!" Beomgyu tried to explain himself but Miss Park was not having any of it.

"This is the disadvantage of being attractive, Taehyun, people forcing themselves on you. It must be hard," she told him sympathetically, her face softening.

_What the hell is wrong with that witch? Was she smitten by Taehyun too?!_

"Choi Beomgyu," Miss Park addressed him, her expression and voice underwent a 360 degrees change. "Go to the principal's office. Now."

Sending Taehyun a deathly glare, he stomped out of the classroom and made his way to the principal's office.

*

He was lucky that Mr Jeon, the principal, let him off with just a detention after school that day. However, Beomgyu did not expect that the next day at school, everyone, and he literally meant everyone, was gossiping about him.

"Did you hear that he forced himself on Taehyun?" he heard a voice say. "What a slut," another voice replied.

_"Taehyun, you freaking douchebag. I'm gonna get back at you, just you wait."_ _Beomgyu said_


	11. Chapter 11

Later that night, Beomgyu stopped Taehyun in his tracks when he come out of the bathroom after taking a shower. "Why the hell did you do that?" Beomgyu demanded and Taehyun shrugged, "you started it first."

"What did I do?" Beomgyu asked Taehyun, a frown etched on his forehead and Taehyun replied, "I know you stole my clothes. Why did you do that?"

"You started it. You were the one who hit me with the ball! What did I ever do to you! I hate you," Beomgyu hissed and Taehyun narrowed his eyes at Beomgyu. "That was an—" Before he could finish his sentence, his phone rang and he shook his head, "never mind. Don't worry, I hate you too sweetheart." And with that, Taehyun walked to the balcony to pick it up.

An idea came to Beomgyu mind and he locked the balcony door behind Taehyun. Taehyun looked at Beomgyu with wide eyes when he heard the sound of the lock turning and Beomgyu poked his tongue at him. "Karma's a bitch, you jerk!" Beomgyu shouted before walking out of the bedroom, leaving Taehyun shouting profanities behind him while knocking on the door and asking Beomgyu to unlock it.

It was a cold night and Taehyun only had a t-shirt and a pair of joggers on. His hair was wet too. Beomgyu hesitated for a bit, what if he froze to death? However, when Beomgyu recalled what Taehyun had done to him, he was too pissed to care about Taehyun well-being, for now. Maybe he'll let Taehyun in later.

With that, Beomgyu turned on the television and watched the movie that was currently showing on one of the channels.

*

The sound of Beomgyu phone ringing woke him up a few hours later and he realized that he had accidentally fallen asleep. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he answered the call from Soobin asking him if he wanted to video call. Beomgyu declined his offer, and told Soobin that he was tired and they soon ended the call. Beomgyu looked at the time on his phone screen and his eyes widened. Did he just leave Taehyun out in the cold wearing so little, and with his hair still wet?

He rushed to the bedroom to see Taehyun leaning on the balcony door, his face ghastly pale. Beomgyu quickly unlocked the door and put his hand on Taehyun forehead. Taehyun was burning up.

Oh god. Beomgyu didn't intend to leave him out in the cold for so long, at least not till he caught a cold.

He tried to pull Taehyun up, only to lose his balance as Taehyun pulled him closer and hugging him.

"He--hey! What are you doing?" He gasped as Taehyun hold tightened on him. "C---cold," Taehyun murmured as he buried his head in the crook of Beomgyu neck. "Yo--you take---responsibility," Taehyun said weakly as he lost consciousness.

Beomgyu quickly stood up when Taehyun arms loosened its hold around him and helped Taehyun to bed. He rushed to the bathroom to take a cloth and a bowl of water and after soaking the cloth in the cool water and wringing the excessive off, Beomgyu placed the wet cloth on his forehead.

He repeated the process when the cloth on Taehyun forehead got warm and took care of Taehyun the entire night, feeling guilty for what he had done.

*

The next morning, Beomgyu felt a gently pat on his head and woke up to see Taehyun already awake. "How are you?" Beomgyu asked worriedly and Taehyun responded, "I’m fine," Taehyun voice sounding weak. Beomgyu placed his hand against Taehyun forehead again and just as he guessed, Taehyun fever had not subsided. "Do you want to go to the doctors?" Beomgyu asked Taehyun and he shook his head.

"Wait for me, I'll go get you some food and medicine then," Beomgyu told Taehyun and quickly rushed to the kitchen. After cooking him some soup, Beomgyu grabbed the box of flu medicine as well as a bottle of water, and brought them to the bedroom.

"Here, have some soups first," he told Taehyun, passing him the ceramic bowl which contained the soup. Taehyun shook his head weakly and asked, "Can u feed me?" Beomgyu was not able to bring himself to reject Taehyun and did as he was told, feeding him spoonful by spoonful until Taehyun finished the entire bowl of soup.

"Here, swallow this," Beomgyu held up two pills to Taehyun and uncapped the bottle of water. He swallowed the pills with a sip of water and went back to bed.

Seeing Taehyun sound asleep, Beomgyu walked over to the sofa to catch on some sleep as well, having only one thought in his mind. 

_He have to apologize to Taehyun, he went overboard._


	12. Chapter 12

Taehyun's fever lasted a few days, and despite Beomgyu many attempts to convince Taehyun to visit the doctors, he stubbornly declined.

"Why not? At most, it’s just an injection," Beomgyu frowned. "No," Taehyun stood his stand. Beomgyu eyes widened as a thought came to his mind. "Is it possible that..." Beomgyu trailed off and a tinges of red appeared on Taehyun's cheeks. "No," he said again. Beomgyu smirked. He was right. This guy was afraid of needles.

"Hey. Can you help me to the living room?" Chuckling to himself, he nodded and helped Taehyun to the living room. "I'll go make us some food," Beomgyu told him after Beomgyu had helped him to the sofa.

Placing a pan on the lit stove, Beomgyu placed a pat of butter on it and waited for it to melt before swirling it around. He then poured the instant pancake batter which he had made earlier, onto the pan and waited for the bubbles to form before flipping the fluffy goodness to the other side. After using up the remaining batter, his stomach growled at the aroma coming from the stack of pancakes.

"I'm done!" Beomgyu grinned as he carried two plates of stacked pancakes to the living room and placed Taehyun's portion in front of him. Taehyun eyes adverted from the television when he saw the plate of food. "Dig in."

After they both finished their food, they made themselves comfortable on the sofa and watched Netflix.

"H--hey," Taehyun called him out suddenly and Beomgyu pried his eyes away from the television screen to see Taehyun shivering. "Hey--are you okay?" Beomgyu asked worried as he leaned forward to feel Taehyun forehead. "You're burning up again," a frown made its way onto Beomgyu face. "I'll go get you some blankets," Beomgyu said before grabbing all the blankets he could find from the apartment.

"Thanks," Taehyun mumbled out weakly as Beomgyu wrapped him up in layers and layers of blankets. "Are you still cold?" Beomgyu asked him once Beomgyu was done and Taehyun nodded. Beomgyu could still see him shivering a little.

"What should we do? There's no more blankets. Do you want a cup of hot milk?" He asked Taehyun and he shook his head, opening his arms.

Beomgyu raised his brows at Taehyun actions. "Cuddle with me."

"What?" Beomgyu half-screamed, taken aback by Taehyun’s words. Taehyun shrugged and pulled Beomgyu arm close to him. "I'm cold," Taehyun told him before wrapping his arms around Beomgyu. His heart skipped a beat at Taehyun proximity and Beomgyu could feel his cheeks getting hot. Taehyun's high temperature is not helping the situation as well.

_Does he know what he's doing? Is his brain fried from his high fever?_

Seeing Taehyun expressionless at the entire situation, Beomgyu could feel his heart slowing down. 

_There's nothing to this. Taehyun's just ill._

As that thought invaded Beomgyu mind, his body relaxed under Taehyun's arms and Beomgyu focused his attention on the television show again.

Halfway through the show, Beomgyu was reminded of the fact that he had yet to apologize to Taehyun for his prank. "Taehyun?" Beomgyu called out to him and Beomgyu looked down at him. "I'm sorry," He said guiltily. "For what?" Taehyun seems taken aback and clueless as to why Beomgyu apologized.

"The prank. I went too far. Sorry," BeomgyuI apologized again and Taehyun shook his head. "It’s okay. I'm sorry for the ball incident too. I didn't hit you on purpose," he explained and Beomgyu widened his eyes.

_Had Beomgyu really misunderstood him this entire time?_

Beomgyu raised an open palm in front of Taehyun and his brows quirked when he saw it. "I say, let's call a truce."

"Deal," Taehyun smirked and shook Beomgyu hand with his warm ones.

Both of them spent that afternoon in peace, watching the television and laughing whenever something hilarious came on.

Dinner soon came around and he was relieved when Taehyun's fever finally subsided. It was when he left Taehyun's arms to go to the kitchen when he realised how comfortable he was in them.

Shaking the thought off, Beomgyu checked the kitchen to see what ingredient he had left at home. "Shall we have pasta for dinner?" Beomgyu stepped out of the kitchen and shouted across the room to Taehyun who was still lying on the couch. Taehyun turned to face him and gave him a nod. _Pasta it is then._

Beomgyu went into the kitchen and boiled some water using the saucepan before grabbing the pack of spaghetti from the shelves above him. Cutting a slit at the top of the packet, He add the spaghetti into the boiling water and cooked it according to the instructions.

As Beomgyu was about to walk over to the sink to drain the water from the saucepan, he accidentally tripped over his foot. He managed to steady himself in time, but the action sent the saucepan clattering to the ground, and the boiling water scalded his arm.

He grimaced in pain as he felt the burning sensation spread through his arm. "What happened?" He heard Taehyun ask as he ran into the kitchen and Beomgyu looked up to see a worried expression on his face.

"I--" Beomgyu tried to speak, but the pain was getting unbearable. "Come on, let's get your arm under running water," Taehyun said and helped him to the sink. He lifted Beomgyu arm gently and placed it under the running tap water. The coolness of it helped soothe the pain.

"Hold your hand under the water while I get the first aid kit," He instructed and Beomgyu nodded.

A few minutes later, Taehyun came back with the first aid kit in hand. He carefully dabbed some ointment on the wound after drying it and wrapped it with loose gauze.

"Thanks," Beomgyu murmured, wincing at the pain. "I'll cook instead, you take a seat," Taehyun instructed as he led Beomgyu to the living room.

Beomgyu nodded as he looked at Taehyun figure retreating back into the kitchen.


	13. Chapter 13

Sniff... Sniff...

The sound of someone crying caught Beomgyu’s attention and he curiously turned to look at who it was.

"Hey...you ok?" He asked concernedly, seeing the unfamiliar face sobbing into her hands, mascara running down her face.

The petite girl with ombre brown hair looked at him, having heard his voice and he could see the unshed tears waiting to make their way down her puffy cheeks.

"I..." she started to say, but was cut off by another wave of tears as she held by a sob.

"It’s okay," He tried to comfort her, as he started to pat her shoulder and her sobbing grew louder. "If you don't mind, I can lend you a listening ear," He told her softly and she began to share her story with him.

"I lo--loved him," she made out the words. "He played with my heart, stepped on it and left it shattered in tiny tiny pieces," she murmured. Beomgyu frowned.

"It hurts so badly," she cried. He waited for her to continue and after a short pause, she did.

"I was just another one of his many goals," she told me. "Goals?" Beomgyu questioned her, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "He had this list. I saw it for myself. It was titled 'player's agenda'. There were a ton of names before mine and he had ticked the box beside my name. He was done with me."

 _What a bastard._ Her words sent Beomgyu fists curled up in anger.

"He's after some boy named Choi Beomgyu next," she frowned. "What?!" He exclaimed, a little too loudly.

"You're Beomgyu, aren't you?" Her question caught him off guard. "You know me?" He asked her a little surprised.

She nodded, "I've heard about you." The girl then turned to look at him with a pleading eye.

"Help me. Please," she pleaded. He raised his brows quizzically _. What can he possibly help her with? Could it be—_

"Please, help me get revenge on that fucking player," anger was evident in her eyes.

"But I—" He wanted to say, but stopped himself. _He didn't know what he should call Taehyun. His fiance? But they weren't engaged. His roommate? Nah..._

"Beomgyu, you okay?" The girl looked at him curiously, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Huh? Yeah," He snapped out of his thoughts. _Who cares about Taehyun. If he can flirt openly with girls, there's nothing wrong with helping someone with her revenge on a jerk._

"Ok. I'll help," Beomgyu nodded his head in agreement. "Thank you so much," a smile finally made its way up the girl's face as she gave him a small hug. Which reminds him... "How should I address you?" He asked her.

"My name's Kim Heejin. You can call me Heejin," she shook his hands with a small smile. "I'm a senior as well," she told him. "Oh? But I haven't met you before," Beomgyu asked her curiously.

"I just transferred a month ago, I'm such a fool. It took Huening Kai less than a month to check me off his list," she sniffed.

"It’s okay, cheer up. I'll get revenge for you, I promise," Beomgyu put on his determined face as he assured her.

The sound of the bell ringing cut short their conversation and they exchanged their numbers before scurrying to their classes.

_Huening Kai huh, you're going down._

_***_

Time passed quickly today. Beomgyu took in the fresh air once he walked out of the school as he stretched his arms. "Hey," a masculine voice sounded just as he felt a tap on his shoulder.

Beomgyu turned around to see an unfamiliar face before him.

The stranger was taller than him, he had dark brown hair and beautiful dark brown eyes that reminded him of the night sky. He had well-defined cheekbones, pretty good looking, in his opinion. Beomgyu eyes widened as a thought occurred to him. Could this be...

"A beautiful boy caught my eye and I just wanted to say hi to him," he smiled charmingly.

"And who might you be?" Beomgyu asked, brows rising.

"The name is Huening Kai, pleased to make your acquaintance," he introduced himself with a wink before lifting Beomgyu hand gently to place a kiss on the back of it.

"Do you do this to all the boys and girls you meet?" He quizzed and Huening Kai laughed. "Nah, you're the only one," he said. _Beomgyu scoffed inwardly. Yeah...right._

"If there's nothing else, I'm going t—" Beomgyu wanted to say but was cut off by his stomach growling.

Huening Kai chuckled. "Would you like to get some food with me?" He offered with a small smile while Beomgyu held back his blush. That was embarrassing.

"Sure," Beomgyu agreed, having remembered the promise his made to Heejin.

"Do you drive?" Huening Kai asked. Beomgyu nodded, "but I didn't take my car today," remembering that Taehyun drove him to school today as he injured his arm yesterday.

"Let's take my car then," Huening Kai said as he led the way through the school carpark.

We arrived at a black Audi and Huening Kai gestured for Beomgyu to get into the car after he opened the passenger's side for Beomgyu.

"Thanks," Beomgyu thanked him before getting into the car.

"Do you have any place in mind?" Huening Kai asked once he turned the ignition on. Beomgyu shook his head. "I'm fine with anything as long as it is not seafood then it’s okay" Beomgyu replied. "You're a picky eater huh," he commented and Beomgyu nodded shyly. "How about some pizza then?" He asked and Beomgyu eyes lit up. "I haven't had pizza in such a long time," He mused as Huening Kai chuckled, "its pizza then."

They made small talk as they drove to their destination. It did not take long before the car came to a stop at a shopping mall's parking lot.

After Huening Kai parked his car, they got out of the car and made their way to the pizza restaurant located near the entrance of the shopping mall.

"Do you frequent this restaurant?" Beomgyu asked him once they took their seat. "Yep. A family friend owns it and I get extra toppings whenever I patronize," he told Beomgyu. "What's nice here?" Beomgyu questioned as he skimmed the large menu that the waiter handed him.  
  
"Do you like mushrooms?" Huening Kai asked and Beomgyu nodded. "This mushroom pizza is good, as well as the pepperoni one," Huening Kai recommended. "Should we get these 2 then?" He suggested and Huening Kai gave a nod as he called the waiter over to take their orders.

"Do you have a girlfriend or a boyfriend?" Huening Kai suddenly asked once the waiter left with their orders.

"Not that I know of," Beomgyu gave a nervous laugh as he thought of Taehyun. He don't know what's his relationship with that guy, or do they even have one?

"Then...it’s okay if I go after you, right?" Huening Kai asked as his face turned serious. "But we just met today..." Beomgyu trailed off.

"It was love at first sight for me," Huening Kai said as he took hold of both Beomgyu hands. "Give me a chance," Huening Kai looked at him earnestly. He was taken aback by the sincerity in his eyes.

_Snap out of it Gyu! You're supposed to get revenge on him, not be taken in._

"I..." Just as Beomgyu was at a loss for words, the waiter served their pizzas.

He heaved a silent sigh of relief. Saved by the bell, or in this case, pizza.

"Let's dig in, I'm hungry," He changed the topic and grabbed the utensils before serving himself a slice of the delicious smelling pizza.

***  
  


It was evening by the time they finished their food and Huening Kai offered to drive him home. Beomgyu was glad that Huening Kai did not bring up the topic again that day, though they did exchange their numbers.

"You're back," Taehyun commented when he saw Beomgyu enter the apartment. He was lounging on the sofa watching television while munching on a bag of chips. "Yeah," Beomgyu replied.

"You're eating chips already? Are you fully recovered yet?" Beomgyu asked just as Taehyun smirked. "I didn't know you were so concerned about me." He rolled his eyes at Taehyun words, "I just don't want to look after a sick patient again," Beomgyu shrugged.

Taehyun stood up and walked closer to him. "Is that so?" Taehyun teasingly asked as he inched closer to Beomgyu, backing him up against a wall.

"Y--Yes of course, what else?" Beomgyu bit out. "You just stuttered," Taehyun brought his face closer to Beomgyu, trapping him between his strong arms.

An idea popped in Beomgyu head and he reached and twirled a strand of Taehyun red hair, "maybe...I've started to fall for you," He fluttered his eyelashes as seductively as he can as he looked into Taehyun’s eyes.

Beomgyu held back a laugh as Taehyun's eyes widened. Just as Taehyun got distracted, he pushed Taehyun backwards, knocking his back against the wall behind him.

He then walked slowly towards Taehyun and put one of his arms on the wall behind Taehyun as he leaned his face closer to Taehyun.

 _Is he really going to take the bait?_ Beomgyu forced back the smile that was threatening to emerge on his face as Taehyun's eyelids fluttered close.

Just as their lips were centimeters apart, Beomgyu head-butted him and his eyes shot open.

Beomgyu gave a victory smirk as he quickly placed some distance between the two of them. "You, get back here," Taehyun's voice held a tinges of menace as he narrowed his eyes at Beomgyu. "No!" Beomgyu shot back as he quickly ran into the bedroom and shut the door at Taehyun’s face.

Plopping down on the bed, Beomgyu let out the chuckle that he was holding in the entire time as he heard Taehyun cursing outside the door.


	14. Chapter 14

"Morning" he greeted Taehyun whilst yawning as he walked out of the bedroom. Taehyun had spent the night on the sofa as Beomgyu locked the bedroom door the previous day. "My neck's sore thanks to you," he grumbled in response and Beomgyu laughed at him. "I'll make it up with breakfast." "It'd better be good," he grumbled once more before making his way into the bedroom to get himself ready for school.

Taehyun attitude towards Beomgyu had improved a little ever since they called a truce a few days ago, Beomgyu thought as he made his way to the kitchen. He was thankful that his arm did not hurt as much as it did but he still had some difficulty holding up the pan. "I'll do it," Taehyun's voice sounded over Beomgyu shoulder and he turned and collided into Taehyun hard chest. "Ouch," Beomgyu mumbled as he looked up at Taehyun. "What?" Beomgyu questioned Taehyun words and he gestured towards the pan.

"I'll make breakfast," he said as he took the pan from Beomgyu's hand. Beomgyu raised his brows quizzically. _What's come over him?_

"I don't want to tend to another burn," Taehyun muttered, having seen his expression.

"T...thanks," Beomgyu thanked him before sitting down at the dining table.

Just then, Beomgyu phone rang. He fished his phone out from his pocket to see Huening Kai calling. _Why is he calling so early in the morning?_

"Hello?" Beomgyu answered, having accepted the call. "Hey, do you want a ride to school?" Huening Kai asked him. Pondering over his limited options, he accepted the offer. "Sure, I'll be down in 20 minutes," and with that, Beomgyu ended the call.

"You have a ride today?" Taehyun asked, bringing two plates of omelette to the table. Beomgyu nodded and scooping a spoonful of omelette into his mouth. He must say, Taehyun's culinary skills are better than he expected. The eggs that he cooked were fluffy and delicious and the seasoning was just right.

"Thanks for the breakfast," Beomgyu mumbled, mouth full as he placed the plate into the kitchen sink and rushed to get his bag pack.

Beomgyu looked at the clock, three minutes left. Shoot. He quickly put on his shoes and bidding a quick good bye to Taehyun before he rushing into the elevator.

"Hey," He greeted Huening Kai when Beomgyu entered his car which was already waiting at the entrance of his apartment. "Sorry, was I late?" He asked once the car's ignition started. "Nope, right on time," Huening Kai answered. "Morning," he greeted with a wide smile and Beomgyu automatically returned his greeting with a similar grin.

"Who're you living with in this huge apartment?" Huening Kai asked on their way to school. "Oh...just myself," Beomgyu answered as Taehyun's voice reminding him of the rules they had, played in his mind.

"But that's such a big apartment," Huening Kai continued his questioning and Beomgyu just shrugged. "Do you live in the vicinity?" Beomgyu changed the topic and thankfully, Huening Kai went along. "Nope, I had some stuff to settle so I was in the vicinity, and I remembered your arm was hurt," he told Beomgyu.

"Thanks," Beomgyu smiled at his thoughtfulness and Huening Kai returned Beomgyu's smile with one of his own.

Soon, the car turned into the school gates and Beomgyu sighed seeing the familiar building. _It’s gonna be another boring day._

A honk drifted him out of his thoughts as he looked out the window. "Damn it, I was the one who came first," Huening Kai said in annoyance and Beomgyu looked at the parking spot to see Taehyun's car.

He could see Taehyun poke his tongue from his seat, mocking Huening Kai as he took the parking spot under the large tree. Beomgyu rolled his eyes at Taehyun childishness. That guy...

"Come on, let's just find another one," Beomgyu told him, trying to calm him down. He looks pissed.

"Do you know that guy?" Huening Kai asked as he drove his car to park at the next spot under the tree and Beomgyu shrugged.

"He's in some of my classes," Beomgyu reply as casually as he can. Once Huening Kai turned the ignition off, Beomgyu push open the car doors and got out of it.

"Thanks for the ride, I'd better get going," Beomgyu told him and started to walk but Huening Kai held his arm. "Wait, let me walk you," Huening Kai told him and he shook his head. "There's no need, my arm's not that..." Beomgyu tried to decline but was cut off by Huening Kai. "No can do. What if you hurt yourself again?" Huening Kai asked him and he shrugged. "Come on," Huening Kai said as he took Beomgyu bag from him and carried it for him instead.

There were whispers when the students saw them walking into the school grounds. Beomgyu ignored their stares and quickly made his way to his locker. Turning the combination lock, he unlocked his locker and took out the stuff he needed for the lesson. "I'll hold that for you," Huening Kai said, grabbing Beomgyu's books and notebook from his hands. "Thanks," Beomgyu thanked him with a small smile as they both walked side by side to his class.

"We're here, thanks again," He told Huening Kai as he took his stuff from Huening Kai. "You're welcome, I'll get going. See you around," Huening Kai said with a wave of his hand.

Beomgyu entered the classroom and walked to his seat to see Taehyun staring at him. "What's up?" Beomgyu asked Taehyun curiously as he takes a seat at his usual seat beside Taehyun and Taehyun frowned, "who's that?" "His name is Huening Kai" Beomgyu told him just as the teacher entered the classroom. "What's your relationship with that guy?" He asked and Beomgyu smirked, deciding to tease him a little. "Aren't you curious?" "No, pretend I didn't ask," his cold response wiped the smirk off Beomgyu face. "Fine. I didn't feel like telling you either." Beomgyu said.

The rest of the lesson passed by in a blur with moody Taehyun beside him.

Soon, lunch break came and Beomgyu met up with his friends at their usual table. He was bombarded with questions from his friends as soon as he sat down. "I heard the rumors." Soobin said followed by Yeonjun asking, "Who’s that guy?" "I'll tell you guys later, for now, my tummy's demanding some food," Beomgyu told them as he stood up from his seat to get some food at the front of the cafeteria.

After grabbing a burger and a cup of orange juice, He made his way to the table to see Taehyun sitting with his friends. His eyes widened, "what are you doing here," Beomgyu whispered harshly once he sat down beside Taehyun who was chattering happily with his friends. Taehyun placed an arm around him and pulled Beomgyu closer to him. "Accompanying my would-be fiancé," he said the words with a smirk, and loud enough so that only Beomgyu friends and him could hear it. Beomgyu frowned, "what's wrong with you?" and Taehyun just shrugged before grabbing his orange juice and drinking a large mouthful of it. "You—" Beomgyu started but Soobin and Yeonjun's teasing cut him off.

"I didn't know you guys were so chummy," Yeonjun tease him as Soobin chuckled and said, "actually now that I've seen you two side by side, you're quite the perfect pair." Beomgyu rolled his eyes at their comments and poked Taehyun's side before scooting away from him.

"Hey, can I sit here?" Beomgyu heard a familiar voice behind him and all of them, except Taehyun, turned to look at Huening Kai standing there with his tray in his hand. Beomgyu turned to his friends to see them ogling Huening Kai. "Sure...why not?" Soobin replied dreamily as he shifted to make space for Huening Kai.

"It's you," Taehyun and Huening Kai said at the same time, staring daggers at each other.

Soobin and Yeonjun gave Beomgyu a look. A look that seemed to ask what was up with the two of them. Beomgyu gave them a shrug and mouthed, "I'll tell you later."

"You're Taehyun, aren't you?" Huening Kai asked and Taehyun replied with a roll of his eyes. _What's up with this guy?_

"You okay?" Beomgyu whispered so that Taehyun could hear and he replied, "It’s none of your business," he whispered harshly and stood up from the table. "I have somewhere to be, see y'all around," he gestured to Beomgyu’s friends before walking out of the cafeteria.

Beomgyu frowned. _What's up with his hot and cold attitude?_ He'll just have to ask Taehyun later back home.


	15. Chapter 15

Beomgyu returned home that day to find the apartment empty. Taehyun's not home yet...which means...he have the whole apartment to himself.

After doing a little happy dance, he proceeded to change out of his clothes to something comfier. After he was done, he lounged on the sofa as he dialed the hotline for chicken delivery and ordered two box of chicken.

Reaching for the remote on the coffee table, he turned the television on and switched the channel to Cartoon Network, smiling as his favorite we bare bears came into view. 

It didn't take long for the doorbell to ring and he skipped to the door to get his chicken, the aroma of it bringing up the corners of his lips.

Plopping down on the sofa once again, he picked up a piece of chicken and began munching on it as he looked at Grizz giving a speech on top of the sand castle.

Night soon came and he looked at the clock to find the hour and minute hand pointing at 10. Taehyun's unusually late.

Just as he was about to clear up the mess he made on the coffee table, the door opened and a stumbling Taehyun walked in.

_Oh god...is he drunk?_

Beomgyu quickly walked over to him and helped him to the bed. After Taehyun made himself comfortable, Beomgyu was about to leave when he felt a warm hand grabbing his wrist. Before his could process what happen, he was pulled down and wrapped in Taehyun's arms. "Hey, let me go," Beomgyu tried to wiggle himself out of Taehyun's arms, but stopped when he heard Taehyun's voice. "No, stay with me," Taehyun whined. Beomgyu chuckled to himself. _What's up with that cute voice?_

"I'm just going to grab a glass of water," Beomgyu tried to tell him but Taehyun stubbornly kept his arms around him. "No," Taehyun insisted in that voice of his again and Beomgyu had no choice but to stay put, and before he know it, he already fast asleep.

The sunlight streaming through the blinds woke him up the next morning. Squinting his eyes, he attempted to stretch his arms which felt a little sore but he was not able to as there were heavy weights around it. In a panic, his eyes snapped open and he saw Taehyun's _pretty_ face in front of him. He looks so different when he's asleep. So innocent, there wasn't a trace of malice or coldness.

As Beomgyu was looking at Taehyun's face, his eyelids suddenly fluttered open. Taehyun seemed like he was at a loss but once he realized that his arms were around Beomgyu, he quickly pulled them back and shot upwards into a sitting position. "What are you doing here?" His husky morning voice sounded.

"Why don't you try to recall what you were doing yesterday?" Beomgyu replied as he sat up. "What happened yesterday?" Taehyun asked after a few minutes of thinking. "Why don't I help you recall?" Beomgyu smirked as he mimicked Taehyun cute and whiny voice.

Taehyun's cheeks immediately reddened when he heard Beomgyu imitation causing Beomgyu to laugh. "Is the Kang Taehyun blushing?" Beomgyu decided to tease him. Taehyun pouted as he turned his back to Beomgyu, his cheeks still the shade of tomato that could match his striking red hair. "Shut up," Beomgyu heard him mutter.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," Beomgyu told him, still laughing as he pinched Taehyun cheeks and left the room. Beomgyu didn't know Taehyun had such an adorable side. Beomgyu think he prefer this side of Taehyun better.

As he was about to eat the bowl of cereal he poured himself, his phone rings. "Hello?" He answered as he picked up his phone. "Beom!" he heard Yeonjun shouting from the other end and he winced from the loudness. "What's up?" he asked after the buzzing sound in his ear disappeared. "Let's have a little catch up session," Yeonjun suggested and his brows raised. "That's not what that all is," He said into the phone knowingly and Yeonjun laughed. "You haven't told us about Huening Kai" he replied and it was Beomgyu turn to laugh. "Fine, let's meet up in an hour at you-know-where," Beomgyu told Yeonjun and ended the call.

He finished up his bowl of cereal which had already soaked up some of the milk and went to the bedroom to get ready. Taehyun was still lying on the bed using his phone.

After choosing his clothes, he went into the bathroom to wash up and change. He chose a white shirt and pair with a black cardigan and a black jeans for the day, casual yet not too casual. After he finish dressing up, he left the bathroom. "Are you going somewhere?" Taehyun asked when he saw him dressed up. "Yeah," Beomgyu answered as he picked out a black bucket hat from the drawer. "With that Huening Kai guy?" He asked again with a sour tone. Sour tone? Beomgyu must have heard wrong.

He turned around to see Taehyun looking at him curiously and he smirked, "I don't think there's a need for me to report my whereabouts to you." "You—" Taehyun frowned as he slumped back down on the bed and continued using his phone before commenting, "whatever."

With that, Beomgyu left the house to meet his friends at the cafe they frequently visit.

"Beom!" he spotted his friends when he heard Soobin waving him over. "Hey," He greeted them once he sat down and the nearby waiter placed a menu in front of him. "What are you guys ordering?" He asked his friends and they replied to him with the words, "the usual."

With a smile, Beomgyu called the waiter over. She seems new here. "Hi, can I get the caramel macchiato, java chip frappuccino and the mint choco," Beomgyu told her as she frantically jotted down what he ordered on the small writing pad.

After repeating their orders once, the waiter left after sneaking a look at Soobin. As soon as she was out of earshot, he and Yeonjun gave each other 'the look' before they started their teasing. "Someone's into you," Beomgyu wiggled his brows just as Yeonjun tried to mimic a wolf whistle which he failed miserably, sending them all into a feat of giggles. 

"I bet 50 bucks that she'll ask for your number," Beomgyu told his friends after they regained their composure. "Me too," Yeonjun added in while Soobin said, "I bet 50 that she would not." After making small talk, Soobin suddenly brought up the topic of Huening Kai.

"Ok, this is what happened..." and Beomgyu recounted the events from the day he met Heejin.

"What?" Yeonjun exclaimed after Beomgyu had finished his recount. "Isn't that a little dangerous? What if you really fall for him?" Soobin asked with concern and Beomgyu shrugged. "I don't think I will," He told them but what Yeonjun answered caught him off guard. "What makes you so sure?" _It’s true. He not a hundred percent sure that he won't fall for Huening Kai, but..._

"My gut feeling," Beomgyu replied which earned weird looks from his friends. "Just be careful, alright?" Soobin told him and he nodded. "Does Taehyun know about this?" Yeonjun suddenly questioned. "I---" The cat got his tongue. _Is he supposed to let Taehyun know?_

"You didn't tell him, did you?" Soobin said knowingly and he nodded. "I don't even know what our relationship is. Are we friends? Classmates? Roommates?" Beomgyu answered, but more to himself. He sighed. _It’s getting harder and harder to identify their relationship._

"Well...I think it’s all three," Yeonjun remarked. Beomgyu raised his brows at Yeonjun’s comment. "You're certainly not strangers," Soobin reasoned, "and you guys don't seem like enemies." Beomgyu nodded. _Soobin has a point._

Time flies when he with his friends. It was soon time for the sun to set and by then, they had already finished their second order as they suddenly get hungry in the middle of their talk. "It looks like I'll get a hundred," Soobin said with a smile as they got ready to leave the cafe. "Well...that can only be decided when we leave the cafe," Yeonjun replied and Beomgyu agreed with him.

Just as they were about to step out of the humble cafe, the waiter called out from behind them. "Wait up."

He smirked and gave Yeonjun a knowing look as all three of them turned to look at the waiter. "Hey...I've been wanting to ask you this ever since you stepped into this place. Can I have your number?" She asked shyly and Soobin look stunned.

"We'll wait for you outside," Yeonjun said and dragged Beomgyu out with him.

"Looks like we won the bet," Beomgyu commented with a smile and Yeonjun just nodded silently. Soobin stepped out of the cafe a few minutes later, the corners of his mouth frown.

"Did something happen inside?" Yeonjun ask as Soobin came to join him. He smiles faintly as he answer "I feel bad for rejecting her."

"Why?" Both of them ask Soobin. "Nothing, I’ll just tell both of you later" He answer. They sense that Soobin looks uncomfortable with the topic so they decided not to ask him any further.

With that, they bid each other good byes and left for home.


	16. Chapter 16

He lifted up the glass bottle and poured some oil onto the pan before swirling the pool of oil around. When he hears the sizzling sound coming from the pan, he placed the marinated piece of chicken gently on it. "Babe," a masculine voice sounded from behind him as warm arms wrapped itself around his waist. 

"You're awake," Beomgyu said to the guy and he gave him a kiss on the cheek. "What're you cooking? Smells delicious," the guy asked and he replied, "your favourite." 

"But you're my favourite," came his cheeky reply and he turned around to see Taehyun smiling mischievously at him. 

* 

"Gyu!" Someone said loudly against his ear. "Hey! Wake up!" The person continued and he swatted his hand at their face and turned his head the other way. 

Beomgyu felt fingers on his cheeks and before he knows it, they were being pulled. "Ouch," he bolted upright to see Taehyun in front of him. "What was that for?" he asked harshly, to which Taehyun replied, "Its break time, you were drooling in your sleep." 

Beomgyu blushed when he remembered the dream he had earlier. _What was that?_ "Why are your cheeks so red? Were you dreaming about something dirty?" Taehyun teased and Beomgyu frowned at him before packing up. 

"Silence means consent," Taehyun continued his teasing as Beomgyu stood up and got ready to leave the classroom. "Don't you know that you shouldn't annoy someone after you woke them up, rather harshly as well?" he said in a low voice as he hastened his pace, eager to get away from Taehyun. "Nope, never heard that one before," he remarked. "You just did," Beomgyu replied before stomping on Taehyun’s foot and running down the hall. 

"Hey," Beomgyu greeted his friends while huffing. He really should get some exercise. It was just a short distance between his classroom and the cafeteria. 

"Hey," they greeted back as he placed his bag pack down on the bench. "I'll go get some food," he told them before making his way to the front of the cafeteria. After grabbing a roasted chicken sandwich and a can of sprite, he was about to return to the table when he spotted a familiar figure some distance away chatting happily with a skinny blonde beside him. 

_Kang Taehyun._

The blondie had one hand over her mouth as she laughed at something Taehyun said while playfully hitting his chest with the other. _Eeeww._ Beomgyu scrunched his face in disgust and adverted his gaze away from them. 

"What's with the frown?" Soobin asked once he sat down beside him. "Nothing," Beomgyu mumbled as he took a large bite of his sandwich. "You're lying," Yeonjun gave him a disbelieving look as he sighed. Nothing can escape his friends' eyes. 

"Taehyun eas been gisgusdin," he said with his mouth still full. "What?" His friends chorused, not catching what he said. He swallowed the food in his mouth before speaking again. 

"Taehyun is being disgusting," He repeated, looking over at Taehyun's table once more. His friends followed his line of vision and looked at the subject of their conversation. Blondie was still flirting with Taehyun, she now had her head on his shoulder. He could not resist the urge to roll his eyes. 

He adverted his gaze from the couple the second time in thirty minutes and sipped a large mouthful of spite, in hopes that it would wash away the uncomfortable feeling at the pit of his stomach. 

"Is this what it looks like?" Yeonjun turned around with a large smile on his face. "I think it is," Soobin answered, mirroring Yeonjun's expression. 

"What?" He questioned, not understanding what they're getting at. "This is what we call, jealousy, my dear," Yeonjun looked at him, looking rather pleased. 

"My little boy has grown up. He's having his first crush," Soobin gushed and he looked at his friends in disbelief. Is this the conclusion that they ended up with? That he had a crush on Taehyun? 

"Listen. There's no freaking way I would–" He tried to explain himself but was cut off. "Haven't you heard of the saying? The more you deny your feelings, the more they show?" Soobin interrupted him. "No, I–" He started but was cut off once again. "Actually, it’s not surprising. You both do STAY together," Yeonjun commented, placing emphasis on the word 'stay'. 

He heaved a deep sigh. _This isn't working._ His friends are too excited after assuming he had feelings for Taehyun. 

"Beomgyu!" A familiar voice called out from behind him and all three of them paused their conversation to look at the source of 'disruption'. 

"Can I sit here?" Huening Kai walked over with large strides and asked them. "Sure," He answered, as his friends gave him the look. 

"What were you guys talking about earlier?" Huening Kai asked once he sat down, in an effort to join in on their conversation. "Oh...we're just talking about how our little Beom here has a cr—" Yeonjun wanted to say but Beomgyu immediately put his hand over Yeonjun’s mouth. _Oh god._

"It's nothing, I was just correcting a mistake they made earlier," He forced a smile as he tried to signal to Yeonjun using his eyes. "Yeppppp," Yeonjun answered casually, removing Beomgyu’s hand from his mouth and flashed his signature fake grin that only he and Soobin could spot. 

"Okay then," Huening Kai replied as he turned to look at Beomgyu. "Is there something on my face?" Beomgyu questioned in curiosity and he laughed. Nodding, he pointed to Beomgyu mouth. "You're a messy eater," he commented, still grinning. 

Beomgyu reached his fingers to his lips in an attempt to wipe off the traces of him being a 'messy eater', but there were none. "Where is it?" he asked his friends, but before he could react, Huening Kai's slender fingers reached over and wiped the corners of Beomgyu’s mouth, leaving his friends and him a little dumbfounded. 

"Th--thanks," He mumbled out and thankfully, the bell rang, preventing any awkward moment between them. 

"I'll get going," He told the trio at the table and rushed off with his bag. In his haste, he accidentally tripped on someone's shoe and made out with the floor. 

"Dammit," he cursed as he tried to pick himself up, but winced when he felt the throbbing pain on his right ankle. _What's with his luck nowadays?_ He sighed in frustration as students bypassed him, giving him looks. 

"What are you doing? Sitting on the floor when lessons are 'bout to start?" Taehyun's amused voice sounded and he looked up to see Taehyun towering over him. He felt so small at that instant. 

"None of your business," He mumbled as he stayed in his position. "Fine, continue your date with Mr Floor then," Taehyun mused and walked straight to class. 

Urgh. _What had he just done? He should have gotten help._ Beomgyu let out another frustrated groan and attempted to stand up when he felt arms beneath his knees and at his back. 

"Wha—" He wanted to say but stopped when he saw who scooped him up. "You..." he blinked rapidly as he took in the face of his roommate. "Yes, me," Taehyun replied as he shook his head a few times at Beomgyu. "Stubborn," Taehyun mumbled under his breath. "I heard that," Beomgyu said in a straight tone and Taehyun smirked. 

"You're quiet," Taehyun commented as he sat him down at the back of his car. Beomgyu scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, "Thanks." 

"What? I didn't catch that," Taehyun remarked as if taunting him. "I said, thank you," Beomgyu repeated again but Taehyun's reply was the same. He rolled his eyes before repeating himself once more, but this time, at a much much louder volume. 

"I said, thanks!" He shouted in Taehyun's ear and he winced from the loudness. "Dammit," he cussed and Beomgyu smirked. "You were the one who had a hearing problem. Do you need some hearing aids, old sir?" He mocked and he scoffed. "Will you get a pair for me then, young man?" 

Beomgyu poked his tongue out at Taehyun before resting his head against the window.

God knows what will happen if Taehyun didn't pass by. 

Beomgyu looked at the back of Taehyun's head as he drove, thanking him silently once more. Maybe he's not that bad of a person deep down.


	17. Chapter 17

"Oomph, you're heavy," Taehyun huffed as he placed Beomgyu down on the sofa gently, despite his tone of voice. Taehyun had just brought him to a clinic and Beomgyu was told that he had a slight sprain.

"Obviously, I’m not a three year old," Beomgyu countered as he tried to lift his foot to rest on the coffee table, but failed, rather miserably as he lost his balance and tumbled off to his side causing Taehyun to let out a guffaw.

Beomgyu rolled his eyes and huffed. "It’s not even that funny," He bit out and sat himself upright. Taehyun's chain of laughter lasted for quite a while but once he was done, he walked over to Beomgyu and picked him up once again. "What're you doing?" Beomgyu frowned but Taehyun did not reply to him and proceeded to carry him to the other side of the sofa which has a longer end.

"Thanks," Beomgyu told him and was expecting another round of 'what did you say', but Taehyun just answered with a short "no problem" before walking off to the bedroom.

_What's up with that guy nowadays?_ He's actually being kind of nice. Nice enough to make Beomgyu heart flutter. He stopped his chain of thoughts with a shake of his head. "What the hell were you thinking?" He scolded himself harshly as he turned on the television, attempting to steer off thoughts of what his friends accused him of previously.

He felt the chair dip beside him and turned to see Taehyun making himself comfortable on the sofa. "What's up with you and Huening Kai during break?" Taehyun questioned, his eyes fixed on the television. "Talking," Beomgyu answered him in what seemed like a rather bored tone. "You call that talking?" Taehyun mocked as he felt Taehyun’s eyes on him. "Even if we were flirting, what can you do about it?" he questioned and kept his eyes on the television, though his attention was nowhere on it.

"Stay away from him," Taehyun warned and Beomgyu threw a question to him, "what right do you have to ask me to stop what I am doing when you're doing it for the whole school to see with blondie on your lap?" he felt Taehyun take in a deep breath and just as he thought he had won the argument, he heard Taehyun teasing voice.

"Are you by any chance, jealous?" Taehyun smirked and Beomgyu turned to give him a 'are you kidding me?' look. "Stop trying to deny what is so obvious to see," Taehyun remarked as he inched closer to Beomgyu, making him lean backwards in an effort to move away from Taehyun. He tried to get up from the sofa but Taehyun's arms trapped him at his spot as Taehyun placed his hand on the armrest beside Beomgyu.

His eyes widened as the distance between them closed. _Do something Gyu! Say something!_ The warning bells in his head sounded and he poked Taehyun's side, catching Taehyun off guard before putting all the effort he could muster to get himself up and hopped to the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Beomgyu sank down on the bed and placed a hand over his racing heart. "I was not nervous. Not nervous at all," he gave himself a small pep talk. "It’s beating so fast because I just hopped to the room."

He laid him head down on the pillow and a minute or two later, his consciousness left him as he drifted off into dreamland.

*

His phone vibrated as a sms notification showed itself on his lock screen while he was doodling during Mathematics class.

Picking up his phone, he checked his message as discretely as possible and saw that it was Huening Kai texting him.

**Are you free after school today?** The message read.

**Yep, why?** Beomgyu replied him.

**Can you spare me an hour or two? I kinda need your help with history.** Huening Kai asked.

**Sure, but it’s gonna be $100 per hour.** He typed.

**:o there's no friend discount?** Another message from Huening Kai came within seconds.

He laughed silently to himself. _Is Huening Kai that gullible?_

**I'm joking :p. I'll meet you at the parking lot after school?** He replied.

**Thank god. Sure! Thanks :)** Came Huening Kai's reply.

The rest of the day flew by in a breeze. Most probably due to Beomgyu daydreaming in his class.

"I'll meet you guys tomorrow. I'm meeting Huening Kai to help him with History," He told his friends who were waiting at his locker. They both nodded before Soobin warned him not to fall for Huening Kai and bided him goodbye.

Huening Kai was waiting by his car when Beomgyu reached. He limped over to Huening Kai before apologizing for taking longer than usual. "It’s okay, you're injured," he said kindly and helped Beomgyu into the car. "Can we study at your house?" Huening Kai asked as he started up the car. "It’s not exactly a good idea," Beomgyu tried to say but Huening Kai showed Beomgyu his puppy eyes.

Did he tell you that puppy eyes is his weakness? No matter age or gender. He sighed before calling Taehyun. "Hold on," He told Huening Kai as he waited for the call to get through.

"Hey dad," He said cheerily when Taehyun picked up, hoping that he could catch the hint. "What?" Taehyun sounded bewildered. "I'm having a friend over for a while, so don't come home so early" Beomgyu told him. "Fine, son" Taehyun replied the last part rather sarcastically and Beomgyu held in the urge to roll his eyes. "Thanks dad." And with that, he ended the call.

"Okay, but only for 2 hours," he told Huening Kai and he gave a little fist pump and started driving to his apartment.

*

"Wow, the interior..." Huening Kai said in awe as Beomgyu led him into the apartment. "Let's study on the dining table" Beomgyu told him, not wanting him to explore the house further in case Taehyun left his stuff lying around. "Sure," Huening Kai answered and took a seat on one of the chairs and Beomgyu sat opposite him.

"Okay, so what do you need help with?" He asked Huening Kai as he took out his History notes. Huening Kai pointed at some stuff on his notebook and he tried his best to explain it to him.

After an hour of studying, he decided to take a short break and got up. "Do you want anything to drink?" Beomgyu asked him as he made his way to the kitchen. "Anything's fine," he replied and he took two cans of coke from the fridge before returning to their studying spot.

"Thanks," Huening Kai thanked him when Beomgyu handed him the drink. "Do you stay here with your family?" Huening Kai asked curiously and Beomgyu paused for a moment. "Only sometimes" He tried to give as vague an answer as he could. Huening Kai nodded his head in understanding and proceeded to ask Beomgyu about other doubts he had.

"Uh...I think you need to go, my dad's kinda protective," He told Huening Kai, as he looked at the time. They had exceeded the agreed two hours by an hour.

"Okay, thanks for today," Huening Kai said as Beomgyu sent him to the elevator. "You're welcome. See you in school," Beomgyu told him, praying that he wouldn't bump into Taehyun on the way out.

After Huening Kai left, he heaved a sigh of relief and headed back into the apartment and a few minutes later, the front door of the apartment opened.

"So the friend of yours who came over is Huening Kai, huh," Taehyun commented as he stepped into the living room. Beomgyu eyes widened when he heard that.

_Oh god. Did they..._


	18. Chapter 18

"Did you guys bump into each other?" Beomgyu asked, his words flying out of his mouth. "He didn't see me," Taehyun replied and Beomgyu let out the breath that he did not realize he was holding.

"What were you guys doing?" Taehyun frowned, walking to where Beomgyu was standing. "We were studying," Beomgyu told him, signaling to the notes on the table.

"Are you sure you aren't doing anything kinky?" Taehyun asked with a scoff and Beomgyu rolled his eyes. "Then why didn't you tell me when you called just now?" Taehyun questioned, propping himself up on the dining table in front of him.

"Cos you're gonna make a big fuss over him," Beomgyu shrugged. "I did not," Taehyun denied. "You so did," Beomgyu retorted. "Do you want me to list down the times when you did?" he challenged and Taehyun adverted his eyes. "Fine," Taehyun admitted. "Why the big fuss over him anyway?" Beomgyu asked with raised brows and Taehyun shrugged.

Beomgyu walked closer to Taehyun and placed his arms on the table at Taehyun’s sides before mimicking what Taehyun did to him the day before. "Are you by any chance, jealous?" Beomgyu repeated his line. The tables had turn and he smirked to see shock registered in Taehyun's eyes for a split second before a smirk presented itself.

_Huh?_

"Not bad Choi, not bad," Taehyun said wrapping an arm around Beomgyu’s waist and pulled him closer, gently so as not to hurt his injured foot.

"I try, Kang," Beomgyu replied with a flip of his imaginary long hair, before moving away from Taehyun. He heard Taehyun chuckling behind him as he limped to the sofa and turned on the tv.

"Do you wanna make a bet with me?" Taehyun asked, taking a seat on the sofa beside him. "What bet?" He questioned, curious. "A tub of ice cream. Let's see who can finish the tub of ice cream first," Taehyun told him. "The loser has to do what the winner wants," he continued. Beomgyu brows shot up. "Are you up for it?" He challenged and Beomgyu found himself nodding at Taehyun’s request.

_Oh boy. What is he getting himself into?_

"At the count of three," Taehyun instructed as they each held a tub of ice cream in front of them. Beomgyu’s was chocolate flavored while Taehyun's was vanilla bean.

"3, 2, 1," as soon as Taehyun said the last number, they both dug into the ice cream.

_*_

"I shouldn't have agreed," Beomgyu pouted, holding his tub of ice cream with a few scoops left while Taehyun had already emptied his. "You have to do what I want," Taehyun announced triumphantly while Beomgyu stuffed down the remaining ice cream.

"Fine, what do you want?" He asked, setting down the empty tub on the coffee table. "I want...to hold a party here," Taehyun smirked while Beomgyu jaw dropped. "Are you serious? Who's gonna do the cleaning?" He asked, widening his eyes.

"Who else?" Taehyun gave him a smug look and he let out a huff, conceding. "When?" Beomgyu asked him, shoulders slumping and Taehyun happily replied, "tomorrow." "My friends are coming over to get the stuff ready for the party. You can come as a guest," he continued. "Can I ask my friends along too?" Beomgyu asked, a little hopeful. "Okay," Taehyun agreed and his spirits lifted a little.

*

"You aren't gonna get ready?" Yeonjun asked, adjusting his outfit in the mirror. Beomgyu rolled around in Yeonjun’s bed and threw a pillow over his face. "I'm too lazy. I'll go get ready in five," he told Yeonjun, his voice muffled by the pillow. Thanks to Taehyun, he was not able to step into his apartment for the whole day today. Beomgyu came begging for a place to stay at three in the morning. In other words, Taehyun chased him out of the house by waking him up after he had fallen asleep for three hours. That jerk. Couldn't he have the courtesy to wake him up at seven or something.

"Come on, get up," Soobin urged, pulling him out of bed. He came over to Yeonjun's house three hours ago to get ready for the party with the both of them. "Fine," He relented and climbed out of the warm comforters. He walked over to Yeonjun's closet and picked out a pair of black jeans and a red jacket to pair up with a white shirt.

"You're so conservative," Soobin commented after seeing his choice of outfit. "I'll never understand what's going on in that head of yours. You're the one with the best figure among us," Yeonjun shook his head and Beomgyu poked his tongue at them before changing into Yeonjun's clothes.

After he was done, he runs his finger through his hair to reduce the mess in his hair and picked out a pair of low cut sneakers so it will not to worsen his sprained ankle. Thankfully, he and Yeonjun had the same shoe size, otherwise, He'll have to wear his bedroom slippers to the party. In his daze this morning, he accidentally wore his bear slippers out when Taehyun rushed him out of the house.

Beomgyu surveyed his outfit in the full length mirror and gave himself a small nod. He was satisfied with how he looks.

Soobin was wearing a white lightweight knitted top pair with a leather harness that shows his small waist and a black jeans while Yeonjun was wearing a light blue choker neck knitted top with a cut on one side of his shoulder and a black pants to go with it.

"What're you gonna do at the party?" Soobin asked, signaling to Beomgyu injury and he shrugged, "guess i'll just laze around or eat." "At a party?" Yeonjun asked skeptically and Beomgyu nodded. "I'm gonna make myself feel at home," He beamed and took out his phone after he heard his sms notification.

**Taehyun: I'll be kind today. Is there anything you want to eat?**

He scoffed. _Kind?_

**Beomgyu: You kicking me out of the house early this morning wasn't kind at all.**

Taehyun's reply came within seconds.

**Taehyun: I'm trying to be kind here. I'll give you five seconds.**

Shoot. That jerk.

**Beomgyu: S'mores :)**

He smiled, naming a food that he know would take some effort to get.

**Taehyun: I'm not having a bbq or campfire. How the hell am I supposed to get you s'mores?**

**Beomgyu: Idk. You asked. I answered.**

**Taehyun: Fine. Just you wait.**

He laughed silently to himself. He is looking forward to see how Taehyun's going to get his hands on some s'mores.

"What're you laughing about?" Soobin looked at Beomgyu curiously and he shook his head, "just waiting to see how someone's gonna fulfill his promise." Soobin raised his brows, not getting what Beomgyu was on about but left it at that as he got his car keys on top of the drawer.

"Are you all ready?" Soobin called out to them and he and Yeonjun nodded. With that, they left for the party.


	19. Chapter 19

Beomgyu winced as the loud music blasting from the speakers got to him. He stared and gaped like a goldfish at the sight of the unfamiliar apartment. Streamers hung from every corner of the room and a platform was placed at the back of the room where a DJ was standing with his music equipment. 

Was this really where he was staying just a few hours ago? 

"What're you doing with your mouth wide open?" Taehyun cocked his head to the side as he looked at Beomgyu, brows raised. Beomgyu clamped his mouth shut and frowned at Taehyun, "what have you done to the house?" "Nothing," he answered innocently. "I just rearranged the furniture, and placed the valuable items away," Taehyun told him. 

Beomgyu looked around the place. Taehyun was right, the paintings on the wall were gone and the sofa was shifted from its original place. 

"Come with me for a minute," Taehyun said as he led Beomgyu to the kitchen. "What's up?" Beomgyu asked curiously and he replied with a "you'll see." 

"Here's what you asked for," Taehyun said as he lifted the covers off a plate, revealing delicious looking s'mores. "How did yo–" Beomgyu eyes widened as he realised his plan to laugh at Taehyun failed. 

"I made them," he answered proudly before lifting a piece and biting into it. "Are you sure it’s edible?" Beomgyu frowned and Taehyun lips flattened into a straight line. "If you don't want them, I don't mind having all of them to mys–" Taehyun began as he took another piece of s'mores from the plate. 

"Hey, stop, they're mine," Beomgyu pouted as he attempted to snatch the piece of s'more that Taehyun had on his hand. "I think you're a lil short," Taehyun teased as he raised his hand above his head and stuck his tongue out at Beomgyu. Beomgyu wanted to stand on the tip of his toes but stopped himself when he caught sight of his bandaged ankle. 

"Hmph," he gave up and took the last piece of s'more on the plate, causing Taehyun to look at Beomgyu weirdly. "What?" Beomgyu frowned, despite the smile that was threatening to make its way onto his face as he bit into the heavenly treat. 

"Who are you and where did the Gyu I know go to?" Taehyun remarked and Beomgyu narrowed his eyes at Taehyun. "Can't you see that my ankle is injured?" he mumbled, mouth full of food. 

"Oh...right," Taehyun scratched his neck sheepishly as he took out another plate of s'mores from behind him. "Where did that come from?" Beomgyu asked, eyes widening as Taehyun smirked. "I made another batch just in case." 

Beomgyu beamed happily as he took the plate from Taehyun, "thank you," Beomgyu told him as he helped himself to a second serving. 

"You help yourself, I'm going to see if the guys need any help with the party," Taehyun told him as he patted Beomgyu lightly on the head before exiting the kitchen. 

He was enjoying himself, munching happily on the piece of s'more when someone interrupted me. "Hey," an unfamiliar voice greeted and he looked to his right to see a guy from school. "Hi," Beomgyu greeted curtly before reverting his attention back to his s'more. 

"So you're the reason he made so many s'mores just now despite his wound," the guy mumbled to himself amusedly. Beomgyu quirked his brows. _Taehyun's injured?_ "What wound?" Beomgyu asked curiously and the guy pointed to the back of his hand. "He accidentally scraped his hand against the furniture when we were moving it and there was a cut," the guy explained. "Didn't you see the bandage?" He asked Beomgyu and he shook his head, looking at the last mouth of s'more in his hand. _Taehyun went through that much trouble huh? Now he feel a tad bit guilty..._

"Thanks for letting me know, I'm gonna go look for my friends," Beomgyu told the guy whose name he still did not know and left the kitchen having finished his food. He looked around the room for Soobin and Yeonjun but there was no sight of them. On the other hand, he saw Taehyun and a redhead grinding against one another and Beomgyu felt a wave of annoyance wash through him. 

Sighing, Beomgyu moved to get a drink from the table and downed two cups of alcohol, trying to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling deep inside his gut. Just as he was chugging down his third drink, a pretty good looking guy came to stand beside him. 

"Hey, what's your name?" He asked with a charming smile. "Beomgyu, what's yours?" Beomgyu reply was slightly slurred due to the alcohol. "Hyunjin, care to dance?" He invited and Beomgyu pointed to his injured foot, shrugging. "If there's a will, there's a way. May I?" Hyunjin prompted, holding his hand out. Shaking his head with a small smile, Beomgyu placed his hand in his, allowing Hyunjin to lead him to the dance floor. Hyunjin might be a good distraction to get a certain someone out of his head. 

As soon as they reached the dance floor, a fast and upbeat music started blasting. Supporting him with one hand so that less weight would be placed on his foot, Hyunjin slow danced with him. They were completely off rhythm, but who cares. "I was surprised to see you here," Hyunjin said close to Beomgyu’s ear but despite the proximity, Beomgyu strained his ears to hear him due to the noise around. "You go to the same school as me?" Beomgyu asked curiously and he nodded. _Why hadn't he noticed such a cute guy?_

"Don't turn around, but there's a guy over there who keeps looking at you," Hyunjin said, signaling to someone behind him. Beomgyu’s brows shot up when he heard that. Hyunjin is making him curious. "Who's that?" He asked. "Some guy who's dancing with a red head," Hyunjin told him and someone's face came to mind. _Could it be? But why?_ Beomgyu let out a chuckle, the alcohol messing with his brain. 

"Are you drunk?" Hyunjin asked amusedly and Beomgyu shook his head. "Are you drunk?" He repeated Hyunjin’s question, giggling. "Do you know that guy? He's glaring at us now," Hyunjin questioned and Beomgyu half shook half nodded his head. "What does he looksh likeee?" Beomgyu dragged his words as he felt a little light headed. _He really shouldn't chug down his alcohol when he’s not a good drinker._

"Red hair. Dark eyes. Wearing black," Hyunjin described, confirming his thoughts. _That's Taehyun all right._

"Hey, why don't we test something out?" Hyunjin suggested mischievously and Beomgyu quirked his brows. "My hypothesis is that that guy likes you," he said in Beomgyu’s ear, causing him to laugh. "Ish not possible," Beomgyu shook his head but a part of him wanted to find out if Hyunjin's hypothesis was true. 

"Lesh test itt," He said, suddenly serious. "Okay, don't punch me for this," was all Hyunjin said before he placed his lips gently on Beomgyu’s. 

Beomgyu could hear footsteps approaching them and someone grabbing Hyunjin from the back. But before Beomgyu could figure out what happened, he blacked out.


	20. Chapter 20

**_Taehyun_ **

Taehyun walked over to the couple and pulled drunken Beomgyu who was wrapped in the stranger's arms into his own. Anger boiled through him as he remembered the stranger kissing his fiancé.

"Fuck," the stranger cursed as Taehyun’s knuckle swung towards his nose, causing blood to trickle from it. "Stay away from him," Taehyun warned before picking Beomgyu up bridal style and carrying him to the bedroom.

There was an audience forming around them then, but Taehyun paid no attention to them.

Beomgyu stirred in his sleep as Taehyun tucked him into bed. Just as he was about to leave, he felt a hand grab onto his own. "Don't...go back to Ariel," Beomgyu said softly and Taehyun took a seat beside him. "Who?" He asked curiously, not a clue as to who Beomgyu was referring to.

"The red head," he answered, eyes opening slightly. "Why?" Taehyun questioned but Beomgyu did not reply to Taehyun and turned his head the other way.

"Are you jealous?" He asked, and saw the slight nod of Beomgyu’s head. _Is it really true that the drunk mind speaks the sober heart?_

Upon Beomgyu confirmation, Taehyun placed his lips on him. It moved against him for a while and stopped. When he pulled back, Beomgyu's eyelids were closed.

Shaking his head, he lifted the comforters over Beomgyu, wondering if he will remember what happened when he wakes up tomorrow.

**_Beomgyu_ **

Beomgyu woke up to a parched throat and a throbbing headache. Groaning, he lifted himself up from the bed and went to the bathroom to wash up. _It’s your fault for drinking so much._ His brain scolded and he let out a huge sigh.

Beomgyu could not even remember how he got to the bed last night. All he could remember was dancing with some stranger.

Spitting out the mouthwash, he splashed water over his face and dried it with the towel beside him, feeling a little better than before.

"Hey, take some aspirin," Taehyun's voice sounded at the door and Beomgyu looked to see him holding painkillers in one hand, and a glass of water in the other.

"Thanks," Beomgyu took the pills from him and swallowed it with a mouthful of water. _He really shouldn't drink so much next time. Having a hangover sucks._

"What happened last night?" He asked Taehyun as they both walked to the kitchen. In reply, he scratched the back of his neck, shrugging. "It felt like a lot of things happened, but I can't remember any of them," Beomgyu admitted trying to recall what happened the night before.

"A lot happened alright," he heard Taehyun mumble under his breath as he placed two slices of bread in the toaster. "What did?" Beomgyu questioned curiously and Taehyun shook his head, reluctant to answer him.

After the toaster made its signature 'ding', Taehyun removed the slices of bread and placed them on the plate before inserting two new slices of bread in the toaster. "Does peanut butter and jelly sound good?" He asked, looking through the refrigerator and Beomgyu nodded, "anything will do, I'm hungry."

After they were done with their breakfast, they made their way to the sofa and switched on the television, putting Netflix on.

"Hey, do you want to play 21 questions?" Taehyun suddenly suggested, removing Beomgyu’s attention from the tv. He quirked his brows, "sure." "You first," Taehyun told him and Beomgyu thought hard.

"Why are you suddenly nice to me?" Beomgyu asked. "I guess I don't dislike you anymore," Taehyun replied, before asking, "how about you? Do you still dislike me?" Beomgyu shook his head, "nope."

"What do you like to eat?" Beomgyu questioned and Taehyun answered, "chicken chop," reminding him of the dream he had. _That's weird. Is it a coincidence? Wasn't he preparing chicken chop in the dream? Or had Taehyun told him that he liked chicken chop?_

"Earth to Gyu," Taehyun sing sang, waving his hand in front of him. "Huh?" Beomgyu snapped out of his thoughts, blushing as he realized what he had been thinking about.

"Are you blushing?" Taehyun asked and Beomgyu elbowed him in the stomach. "No, my turn to question you." "Hey, that's not fair," he protested and Beomgyu laughed, poking his tongue out at Taehyun as he asked Taehyun what is the most embarrassing thing that happened to him.

A few questions later, Taehyun asked him, "when was your first kiss?" Beomgyu blinked a few times. First kiss? "Yesterday," He replied, remembering drunken him kissing the stranger from last night, whose name was... _What was his name again?_ He could see Taehyun tense up upon hearing his answer. "You gave your first kiss to that stranger?" Taehyun asked, his voice without a hint of emotion.

"I was drunk, and I can't remember what exactly happened. But he said he wanted to te…test something out?" Beomgyu voiced, more to himself.

"Test what?" Taehyun prompted and flashes of yesterday's incident played in Beomgyu’s head. "Something about testing his hypothesis..." his memory was coming back. _Ok come on brain, you can do this._

"About what?" Taehyun asked again. "Oh!" Beomgyu exclaimed when he remembered why Hyunjin kissed him last night. "Nothing," He gave a curt reply. "My turn, when was your last kiss?" he asked, trying to steer the conversation away from him.

"Last night," Taehyun answered. "With the red head?" Beomgyu questioned, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible in case Taehyun could sense his...jealousy?

"It’s my turn," Taehyun said, causing Beomgyu to let out a huff, "fine, shoot." "Is there someone you like currently?" He asked, catching Beomgyu off guard. "Not sure, you?" "Yeah I do," he answered, without hesitation. "You do?" Beomgyu asked again, eyes widening and he nodded. _The player has someone he likes?_

"Oh wow," Beomgyu commented, not knowing what to say. "Aren't you curious who the person is?" Taehyun asked and he nodded. "I wonder who has the ability to make you fall for them," Beomgyu mused despite an uncomfortable feeling settling at the pit of his stomach. 

"I don't mind telling you, you know?" Taehyun asked and Beomgyu placed his hands over his ears. "No, not now. I don't wanna know," He said before standing up. "I'm kinda sleepy, I'll go take a short nap. Bye," he rushed his sentence out before brisk walking into the bedroom and locking the door shut.

Once Beomgyu was inside, he sank to the floor. An ache in his heart as he began putting two plus two together.

_Could it be? No..._


	21. Chapter 21

Beomgyu was in a room—a dark one, and he could see a familiar silhouette before him. Everything was hazy, and his head was spinning. He groaned as an uncomfortable feeling bubbled up his throat. A warm comforter was lifted above him as he got tucked into bed. 

He could feel slender fingers sweeping a few strands of hair away from his face. A few moments later, his eyes opened slightly just to see a man's retreating figure. 

Without thinking, Beomgyu reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks. Taehyun turned around, shock registering in his features. "Don't go back to Ariel," Beomgyu’s mouth moved on its own. He vaguely made out a "who?" coming from Taehyun, who was now sat beside him. 

"The red head," Beomgyu did not know why he said that. He heard Taehyun ask why, but Beomgyu clamped his mouth shut. _Why_ , he wondered himself. 

"Are you jealous?" came Taehyun's next words and Beomgyu turned to face him, nodding. _Was he jealous?_ Suddenly, Beomgyu felt warm lips cover his and he kissed Taehyun back just as he felt his consciousness leave him.

*

"Oh god," Beomgyu exclaimed to himself as he recalled what happened on that fateful night. He hid his face behind his palms as he felt them grow warm. _Was it a dream? Or did that really happen?_ He touched his lips, as he vaguely remembered how Taehyun's lips felt against him. _He did not make all of these up, right?_

Tip-toeing, he stealthily made his way to the door, until he stopped himself. _There was no reason to do that, he was the only one in the room._ Shaking his head, he opened the door as softly as he could and peeked outside. _All clear._

He crept to the living room quietly, making sure not to alert Taehyun. The coast was clear. _Had Taehyun went out?_ Beomgyu heaved a sigh of relief, but paused when he saw Taehyun's legs dangling from the end of the sofa. Shaking his head, he sighed, no such luck. 

_Might as well. There was only one way to confirm his thoughts._ Beomgyu moved closer to Taehyun, making as little noise as possible so as to not wake him up and crouched down so that Taehyun’s serene face was right in front of him. He took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing..._

Beomgyu leaned forward and placed his lips on Taehyun’s, trying his best to steady his racing heart. 

Beomgyu’s eyes widened when he saw Taehyun's eyelids fluttered open. _Shoot._ Beomgyu smiled sheepishly as he moved away from Taehyun. "I...uh...gotta go," Beomgyu stood up, flustered and just as he was about to run back into the bedroom, Taehyun grabbed his arm. 

"Aren't you gonna take responsibility after doing something like that?" Taehyun smirked and Beomgyu’s cheeks reddened. "Why did you do that?" He asked, as Beomgyu tried to pull his arm away, but failed. "I'll let you go after you tell me why," Taehyun said calmly as he yanked on Beomgyu’s arm, causing him to land on Taehyun’s lap. "You..." Beomgyu lost his ability to speak as he felt his heart rate accelerating. 

"You..." "Did..." both of them said at the same time. "You go first," they spoke simultaneously once again and laughed. "I'll go first then," Beomgyu started. "Did you kiss me?" he questioned, his boldness surprising him. 

"Why did you kiss me?" Taehyun replied Beomgyu’s question with one of his own. "I wanted to confirm if I was dreaming or if that kiss really happened," Beomgyu admitted shyly. "Have you gotten your confirmation then?" Taehyun asked and Beomgyu shrugged. "You woke up before I co—" he stopped himself before he embarrass himself further. "Then why don't you do it again," Taehyun suggested and Beomgyu’s eyes widened. _Do what again?_

The distance between them closed as Taehyun leant forward and rested his forehead against Beomgyu’s slowly, gauging his response before brushing Taehyun’s lips against him. So innocent, yet so tempting. 

The feathery kiss soon turned into something more. Beomgyu wanted to pull away before he lose himself but another part of him wanted more. He likes Taehyun. Beomgyu likes this guy who makes his heart pound dangerously against his rib cage. 

"Have you gotten your answer now?" Taehyun asked after he pulled away, and Beomgyu felt his heart sink. _He shouldn't have gone and fell for Taehyun. Out of all the guys he could fall for, why Taehyun? Why did Beomgyu have to like someone who already has his sights set on someone else?_

"Earth to Gyu," Taehyun called as he snapped his fingers in front of Beomgyu’s face, putting an abrupt stop on his train of thoughts. 

"Huh?" he looked up at Taehyun, a little dumbfounded. "I asked, have you gotten the answer to your question?" He repeated his question and Beomgyu nodded slightly. "Why did you kiss me that night? Was it because of the alcohol?" Beomgyu asked meekly, curious to know his answer, but at the same time, also afraid. 

"I like you," Taehyun confessed as he looked at Beomgyu earnestly. Upon hearing that, the drums of his heart began sounding again, as if a parade was going on. "That person who you like...it was me?" Beomgyu asked in disbelief and Taehyun nodded. Beomgyu blinked rapidly, not knowing how to take this news. 

"You're turning bright red," Taehyun teased and Beomgyu looked down, burying his head in Taehyun’s chest, feeling it vibrate when he chuckled. "You haven't told me how you felt though," Taehyun prompted as Beomgyu moved away from him and sat upright. 

Giving him a quick peck on his lips, Beomgyu responded with a sincere "I like you too", happiness bubbling within him.


	22. Chapter 22

Beomgyu squealed as he lay in bed that night, sleep refusing to take over. His mind was replaying the scene of Taehyun's confession and he can't help but giggle to himself when they...ahem...kissed.

It was only when the sun started to rise that his eyelids began to droop and soon, he was off in dreamland.

When he awoke the next morning, he was pleasantly surprised by the trail of neon pink post it notes lying on the floor. Quirking a brow up in surprise, he climbed out of bed and bent down to look closely at the cursive words written on the post it.

The first one had the words **_"good morning sunshine. Or should I say good afternoon?"_** Chuckling to himself, he looked over to see that it was already noon.

Walking over to the next post it note, he bent down once more and saw **_"first, let’s get you freshened up"_** and he followed the arrow on the next few post it notes which led to the bathroom.

On the mirror, there was a post it notes that wrote **_"were you surprised? I hope you were"_**. Smiling to himself, he nodded and looked down to see his toothbrush already lined with toothpaste. Taehyun's being really thoughtful today, his smile widened.

He proceeded to wash up and after he was done, he left the bathroom and saw a post it leading to the door, **_"you're done! Let's get you outside first"_**.

Opening the door, he could see a whole trail of post it notes leading to the balcony.

**_"Hey! You're out, come on follow the trail."_ **

**_"Aren't you curious what's out there waiting for you?"_**  
He sure he’s.

**_"Let me tell you a joke. How did the baby learn to walk? Step by step!"_**  
Beomgyu smiled at Taehyun’s lame joke and proceeded to read the next one.

**_"You're smiling aren't you. I know you are."_**  
And that made him smile even wider.

**_"Ok. Here's one more. What do you call an alligator in a vest? An investigator."_**  
He laughed to himself. He guess it’s an improvement?

**_"Was it funny? I found it funny."_ **

**_"But if you didn't, maybe this one will."_ **

**_"Have you heard of the movie constipation?"_**  
Huh?

**_"I bet you didn't, cause it hasn't come out yet."_**  
He shook his head and laughed.

**_"Here's another one. But a different one this time."_ **

**_"Do you know what’s on the menu?"_**  
What?

**_"Me N U"_ **

This was the last of the post it note before he reached the balcony and saw light pink and white helium balloons tied on the balcony railing. Beneath the balloons was a huge white stuffed polar bear. Awww, he cooed to himself and walked briskly over to pick it up, feeling the soft fur beneath his arms.

"I think you're missing out something important," came Taehyun's amused voice as he stepped out from behind a wall. "Tyun!" Beomgyu called out happily when he saw Taehyun and ran over to him. "Thank you! I love it!" Beomgyu smiled gratefully and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"That's not all, you know," Taehyun told him and his brows raised automatically. "Huh?" "Look on the ground," Taehyun told him and he did. There were a few dates lying on the ground, forming a U.

Beomgyu stared at the dates for a long time before he finally gave up and looked at Taehyun for the answer. "What's the U and dates supposed to mean?"

Shaking his head bemusedly, Taehyun walked over and picked up a date on the floor.

"Do you get it?" He asked.

Pick. A date. U. What?

Wait...take u on a date?

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Beomgyu’s eyes widened as he realized what it meant. Taehyun nodded and walked over to Beomgyu, taking his hand in him. "Will you go on a date with me, Gyu?" He asked sincerely and Beomgyu nodded his head, "yes!"

"Great! I'll pick you up at 5," Taehyun told him before giving his a peck on his forehead. Beomgyu nodded, his smile so wide that the corners of his mouth began to hurt.

He hadn't expected Taehyun to do such a thing for him, and it really took him by surprise.

A grumbling sound disrupted his thoughts and he looked at Taehyun to see him smiling sheepishly. "Come on, I'll make you some food," Beomgyu told him, smiling as he tugged Taehyun’s hand and dragged him all the way to the kitchen.

"What do you want to eat?" Beomgyu asked him and after pondering on his question for a while, he answered, "sandwich."

_Easy enough_. He looked through the fridge and saw that they had some eggs and mayonnaise left and suggested that they have egg mayo sandwiches and Taehyun agreed with a nod.

When the hard boiled eggs were done, he mashed them and added mayo before mixing them well. Taehyun, on the other hand, helped out by slicing the bread into triangles. After spreading the filling on the sandwich, we were done and both of them carried their plates of sandwiches to the dining table.

"Aahhh..." Taehyun cooed as he picked up the first sandwich and handed it to Beomgyu. He smiled, things were really different now, never have he thought that this would happen one day. Beomgyu widened his mouth and was about to bite onto the sandwich when Taehyun retracted his hand, laughing.

Beomgyu narrowed his eyes at Taehyun playfully. "Kang" Beomgyu called him by his first name, faking a stern voice. "Yes Choi?" He mimicked and leaned closer to him. Their faces were just centimeters apart. They lips weren't touching, but this distance was enough to make Beomgyu heart pound fast.

He took a deep breath and closed their distance by placing his lips on Taehyun’s. Taehyun was taken aback and Beomgyu smiled through the kiss as Taehyun cupped his face with one of his warm palms. When their kiss started to deepen, an idea came to mind and Beomgyu pulled away from him, before poking his tongue out at Taehyun.

_What are you doing?! Beomgyu’s brain scolded while his heart decided to go along by saying, don't you want to kiss him?_

It was Taehyun's turn to narrow his eyes playfully at Beomgyu as he reached over and pulled him by placing his arm on Beomgyu’s waist. "Hey, that's unfair. I wasn't given a chance to escape," He pouted as Taehyun laughed. "You wouldn't want to." "Who said so," Beomgyu replied defiantly while Taehyun looked at him with an amused grin.

"Are you sure?" Taehyun teased as he moved his face closer to Beomgyu’s. _Oh god. Had Taehyun found out that that was his weakness?_ "You're blushing right now," Taehyun said softly, his minty breath fanning Beomgyu’s face. He kept his mouth shut as Taehyun brushed his lips against him gently. "Are you sure you don't want this?" He continued his teasing and Beomgyu gave in to his advances, "fine, you're right. I wouldn't want to," he admitted.

Taehyun threw his head back in laughter as Beomgyu stood there with a silly grin on his face, the sandwich long forgotten.


	23. Chapter 23

"Gyu, I'm done, I'll be waiting outside," Taehyun called out from outside the door as Beomgyu fumbled with his hair. It was his first date and he was nervous as hell, taking a whole lot more time than he normally do.

"Ok, I'll be done soon," Beomgyu replied as he tried his best to make himself looks presentable.

He heaved a sigh of relief when he was finally done and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He had on a white t-shirt that been tucked in to pair up with a loosely flannel shirt and a knee ripped jeans to go along with it. He paired his entire outfit with a high cut black converse. Nothing could go wrong with black.

Giving himself a slight nod, he picked up his wallet and phone as he made his way to the door.

Taehyun was lounging on the sofa when he made his way out. "Phew, I thought I was late," Beomgyu heaved a sigh of relief as he looked at the time, it was five minutes to five.

"You look great," Taehyun complimented as he gave Beomgyu a once over. "You're not bad yourself," Beomgyu commented as Taehyun stood up and walked towards him.

Taehyun was dressed in a black leather jacket and underneath it were a white shirt and a pair of black jeans. He had his hair gelled up today and was looking even better than usual.

"Let's go," Taehyun reached out his hand to Beomgyu and he placed his hand in Taehyun’s with a smile. "Let's go."

"Where are we going?" Beomgyu asked Taehyun as he started up the car. "It’s a surprise," Taehyun told him as Beomgyu shook his head. He had expected that reply. "Come on, can't you give me a little hint?" he showed Taehyun his puppy eyes and Taehyun smiled, relenting. "Fine. It’s gonna be windy and a little noisy."

Beomgyu thought hard, but no answer came to him. _Windy...a park? Amusement park? But amusement parks are not exactly only a little noisy._

"Can you guess what is it?" Taehyun asked and Beomgyu shook his head, jutting his lower lip out out of habit. "Then you'll just have to wait and see," he teased and Beomgyu let out a sigh.

_Oh, hey  
You don't know babe  
When you hold me  
And kiss me slowly  
It's the sweetest thing  
And it don't change  
If I had it my way  
You would know that you are  
You’re the coffee that I need in the morning  
You're my sunshine in the rain when it's pouring  
Won't you give yourself to me  
Give it all, oh_

Daniel Caesar ft. H.E.R’s Best Part came playing on the radio and Beomgyu stopped prompting Taehyun and started mouthing the lyrics that he knew at the back of his head.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Taehyun smile as he started to sing.

_I just wanna see  
I just wanna see how beautiful you are  
You know that I see it_

_I know you’re a star_

_Where you go I’ll follow_

_No matter how far  
If life is a movie  
Know you're the best part, ooh  
You're the best part, ooh  
Best part  
_  
It was the first time he heard Taehyun singing, Beomgyu didn't know he had such a soothing voice and Beomgyu couldn't help but sing along with him, despite not having much confidence about his own ability to sing.

_It's this sunrise  
And those brown eyes, yes  
You're the one that I desire  
When we wake up  
And then we make love (Make love)  
It makes me feel so nice  
  
_

_You're my water when I'm stuck in the desert  
You’re the Tylenol I take when my head hurts  
You’re the sunshine on my life_

  
They belt out the lyrics of the songs one after another and before they knew it, they were at their destination.

"I didn't know you could sing," he told Taehyun with a smile as he parked the car at a lot. They were at a beach. So that's what Taehyun meant by windy and a little noisy.

"I was right, you have a nice voice," Taehyun commented as both of them made their way out of the car. "How did you know, I normally only sing—" and Beomgyu stopped himself. He was about to say bathroom. Don't tell him...

"Yea I heard," Taehyun chuckled as Beomgyu felt his cheeks grow warm. "Was it that loud?" he asked, cringing a little as Taehyun shook his head. "I enjoyed it."

The wind was getting stronger as the sun began to set. "Come on, we have to see the sunset," Taehyun held his hand and started to jog towards the sand. Beomgyu smiled. Taehyun looks like a little kid.

After setting out the picnic mat that Taehyun had brought along, they sat alongside one another on the mat as they looked out to sea. The fiery orb slowly sinking beneath the horizon, as shades of red and pink mingled in the sky and danced with the clouds.

Beomgyu looked to his side to see Taehyun's _perfect_ side profile illuminated by the setting sun and a wave of feelings washed pass him, warming his heart.

"It’s beautiful, isn't it?" Taehyun murmured as he kept his gaze fixated at the beautiful sight in front of him. "Yea," Beomgyu replied as he looked at the beautiful array of colors in the sky. "I've always loved the sunset. When I was younger, mom and dad would always take me to the beach, but when I turned five, they started to get busy with their work and I was always left alone with our housekeeper," Taehyun said in a low voice as he stared at the sea blankly, as if reminiscing his past.

Beomgyu knew how he felt. It was the same for him too. But he had his Soobin and Yeonjun who would always come over to his house when he was young, he wondered if Taehyun had such good friends too.

"I was really lonely at that time. As I was home schooled, I had no close friends at all," Taehyun shared. "It was only when I got older that I pleaded with my parents that they allowed me to go to school," he told Beomgyu.

"Why didn't they allow you to go to school though?" Beomgyu asked softly and Taehyun replied, "they were afraid that I would get kidnapped again." _Huh?_

Taehyun's words made Beomgyu look up at him in surprise. Taehyun was kidnapped before?

"It happened when I was four, I think. My memories of that few days were foggy. It happened so long ago. I was throwing a tantrum and ran away from my housekeeper who had brought me to the park. Then two masked men came along, I tried to struggle but it was useless. I was too small and weak. In the end, I spent two nights at some abandoned factory tied up and had little food to eat. I was thankful that they didn't hurt me as all the kidnappers wanted was money," Taehyun recounted.

"What happened to the kidnappers in the end?" he carefully asked after Taehyun told Beomgyu his story. "They were captured, my parents called the police and they set a trap to capture them."

"Are you okay now?" Beomgyu asked concernedly as he placed a hand on Taehyun’s cheeks and made Taehyun face him. "Yeah, it’s true that time heals all wounds," he told Beomgyu with a small smile on his face.

"Thank you for listening to my story, you're the first person I've ever told this to," he gave Beomgyu a gentle smile as Taehyun placed his hand on him. "I'll always be here to lend you a listening ear. You don't have to keep such things to yourself from now on," Beomgyu returned Taehyun’s smile with one of his own.

How lonely must little Taehyun have felt, Beomgyu thought to himself as he felt his heart clench. How he want to be there for Taehyun when that happened.


	24. Chapter 24

**_Taehyun_ **

"Thank you," he smiled sincerely at Beomgyu as he looked at his eyes, sparkling with unshed tears. What have he done to deserve a boy like Beomgyu.

"Come on, time to get on with our date," he told Beomgyu as he stood up and extended a hand to Beomgyu. "Okay," Beomgyu agreed with a smile as he placed his hands into Taehyun’s. Deciding to tease Beomgyu, Taehyun suddenly tugged his hand, causing Beomgyu to lose his balance and fall into Taehyun’s arms.

"Aww, what's with the sudden hug," he teased with a smile as Beomgyu playfully punched his shoulder. "Funny," Beomgyu retorted as he stuck out his tongue. Beomgyu's childishness makes him crack up. He shook his head as Beomgyu lightly pushed him away and marched along the sand.

"You're not going to wait for me, Gyu?" Taehyun sing sang and Beomgyu turned around to blow raspberries at him before running further away.

"Hey wait up," Taehyun shouted before running after Beomgyu. "I'm gonna catch you," he warned as he ran at lightning speed. Despite his _small_ figure, Beomgyu was a fast runner.

"Catch me if you can," Beomgyu laughed as he picked up his speed and increased the distance between them.

"Gotcha," He laughed as he wrapped his arms around Beomgyu's stomach and lifted him up. "Hey! Let me down," Beomgyu protested but Taehyun shook his head and walked towards the water. "Are you gonna run away from me again?" He asked while chuckling and Beomgyu shook his head "i'm not, i'm not. Don't drop me," he shut his eyes tightly.

 _He's cute_. Giving him a light peck on his forehead, Taehyun released his arms around Beomgyu gently as his feet touched the sand.  
  


**_Beomgyu_ **

Taehyun removed his arms from around Beomgyu as his feet touched the sand, which was damp from the retreating wave.

Beomgyu closed his eyes as the gentle sea breeze ruffled his hair and the salty air filled his nostrils. The beach is really a nice place to be, he thought to himself as he stretched his arms, feeling the waves overlap one another at his ankles.

Feeling a warm palm on his cheek, he opened his eyes to see Taehyun looking at him with an endearing gaze. The intensity of his gaze was enough to send butterflies to he’s tummy.

"You're really beautiful," Taehyun murmured as he leaned in closer until his lips were on Beomgyu’s . As Taehyun kissed him, he felt the world around them fall away. It was soft and slow. Warmth filled every inch of his body and their lips moved in perfect synchrony, just like that of two dancers. Beomgyu’s heart soared as their kiss deepened, nothing else mattered at that moment. It was just he and Taehyun.

A few moments later, they parted for air and Taehyun rested his forehead against him. "Shall we finally get on with our date?" Taehyun whispered with a hint of a smile and he nodded, "we should."

"You must be hungry?" Taehyun asked as he laced his fingers through Beomgyu’s and began to walk. "Yes, I could eat a cow," Beomgyu told him as he chuckled. "Don't worry, dinner is next," he assured.

After walking side by side for a few minutes, Taehyun suddenly let go of his hand and came behind him. "Close your eyes," he instructed and Beomgyu did as he was told as Taehyun placed his palms over Beomgyu’s eyes.

"There's a step here," Taehyun said as he slowly led Beomgyu to the said dinner place. "Ok, don't be too surprised. You can open your eyes now," Taehyun told him as he felt the weight of Taehyun’s palms leave his eyelids.

Beomgyu slowly opened his eyes to see a lit path leading to a dining area which has a canopy above it. "Woah," he marveled at the sight in front of him. "You can close your mouth now," Taehyun chuckled as he gently pushed Beomgyu’s jaw close. "Do you like it?" He asked and Beomgyu nodded vigorously.

Taking hold of Beomgyu’s hand once again, Taehyun led them to the dining table which was adorned with a white table cloth as well as a vase of flowers and some intricately designed candles.

Pulling out his chair for him, Taehyun gestured for him to take a seat before he returned to his own seat opposite Beomgyu.

Just a second after they sat down, the waiter poured a glass of wine for each of them. "Should I start serving now, Mr Kang?" The waiter politely asked and Taehyun nodded.

"I ordered for us already so that you wouldn't bite off the spoon while waiting for the food," Taehyun told him with a smile. "Thank you," Beomgyu returned the smile. Taehyun was right, he would consider biting off the spoon with his level of hunger.

Soon, the waiter came with two bowls of soup. "Mushroom potato chowder," the waiter announced before serving them their starter. "It smells heavenly," he commented before picking up his spoon and tasting the soup. "Was it to your liking?" Taehyun asked and he replied with a "it’s delicious".

After they finished their soup, the waiter came to clear their bowls while another waiter served them their entree. "Poulet à la Crème," he told them before placing the plate of chicken and cream before them. He dug into his dish without time to spare. His mouth was drooling. The food here is fantastic, he thought to himself as he felt a pair of eyes on him.

Turning him head up, he saw Taehyun looking at him with an amused grin. "You're such a messy eater," Taehyun shook his head as he reached over and wiped the corners of Beomgyu’s lips with his thumb. He blinked several times as his heart began to speed up.

"Did I make your heart race?" He teased, snapping Beomgyu out of his thoughts and he shook his head vehemently before continuing his moment with Mr Chicken which ended abruptly several moments ago because of some guy named Taehyun.

After they were done with their entree, dessert was served. It was a vanilla crème brûlée. Beomgyu was already full by then, but there's always room for dessert.

"How do you like the food here?" Taehyun asked after they finished up with dessert and was drinking their wine. "It’s delicious. Every dish was," He replied patting his tummy. "My tummy is satisfied."

Taehyun chuckled at his words and said, "I'm glad you liked it."  
  


**_Taehyun_ **

Now's the time, his brain told him and he took in a deep breath before picking up the bouquet of flowers that he prepared earlier and stood up, making him way over to Beomgyu.

Beomgyu stood up and his eyes widened, like that of a goldfish and Taehyun held back his urge to smile. "For you," he told Beomgyu and he extended his hand to receive the flowers. "Thank you, it's beautiful," he said softly.

"Gyu, will you be my boyfriend?" he asked sincerely as he took hold of Beomgyu's hands. "Yes" Beomgyu answered, smiling widely as he wrapped an arm around Taehyun’s torso.

He hugged Beomgyu back, his lips pulled back in a wide grin.

The rumbling of the sky above them made they pull back from one another. "It’s going to rain," Beomgyu commented as Taehyun said, "let's go."

Hand in hand, they ran towards the car as water droplets landed on them.

Thankfully, they reached the car just as the rain began to pelt down. "Phew," they both heaved a sigh of relief and laughed.

Reaching to the backseat for some tissues, he wiped off the water droplets on Beomgyu's face as he did the same for Taehyun.

"Thank you," he smiled and Beomgyu replied with an identical smile, "thank you too."

As he drove them home, Beomgyu fell asleep amidst the raindrops knocking against the windows and the soft music playing from the radio.

He looks so innocent when he's asleep, Taehyun thought to himself as he parked the car in the parking lot and picked Beomgyu up, bridal style, careful not to wake him up.

"You must be tired, it was a long day. Goodnight," he whispered as he laid Beomgyu down in bed and pecked his forehead.

Looking at Beomgyu sleeping peacefully, it suddenly dawned on him that he’s falling for Beomgyu faster than he even realized.


	25. Chapter 25

"Did you hear that Taehyun had gotten himself a boyfriend?" Beomgyu heard the blondie beside him ask her brunette friend. His heart skipped a beat upon hearing that. "Yeah. Do you know who he is?" Her friend replied. Beomgyu strained his ears to better hear them as students started coming into the classroom. "No idea. I just heard that he's a model," blondie told her friend. "I heard that he's a singer," another classmate butted into their conversation.

 _What?_ Beomgyu shook his head upon hearing what they said. Since when was he a model or a singer?

"He must be really good looking then, since none of the people in this school managed to catch his eye," the brunette scoffed. "I heard that he seduced him, what a slut," the classmate who butted in previously added.

Beomgyu lips flattened into a thin line upon hearing that. _Pfft, since when did he seduce Taehyun? A slut? Seriously?_

"As a matter of fact, I was the one who tried to seduce him," an all too familiar voice sounded behind Beomgyu and he widened his eyes as he turned to look at the newcomer. _Taehyun_. The girls who were gossiping beside Beomgyu looked up in shock and had the same expression as him. "He's so good looking he could become a model, right? But you all got something wrong, he's from this school, so actually, one of the boys in this school managed to catch my eye," Taehyun said smiling sweetly while looking at him. _Oh god._

_You know that awkward moment when the people who were gossiping about you find out that you overheard them? He wish he could just bury himself in the ground this very instant._

_He shot Taehyun a look to ask him to stop but he made no intention to and continued to smile innocently at Beomgyu._

"You know...I don't date sluts, that's why I rejected you guys," Taehyun spoke up for Beomgyu. Warmth blossomed inside him and though he find it embarrassing to be in such a situation, he kinda like this.

The girls stared daggers at him after Taehyun's words and Beomgyu blinked rapidly at the wave of hatred directed at him. Had he just made enemies with Taehyun's fangirls? It’s gonna take a while to adapt to Taehyun's popularity.

"Class, take out your textbooks," the teacher who just entered said loudly. "I'm Mrs Jung, your teacher is absent today, so I'm supposed to take over his lesson," Mrs Jung told them.

Although he’s glad that Mr Hwang was absent, but Mrs Jung seemed even more unpleasant as compared to him. "I'll give you thirty minutes to study through chapter 7. We will have a short surprise test," Mrs Jung announced, earning groans from the class. Urgh. He was right. This was a hundred times worse than being bored in Mr Hwang's class.

Beomgyu was never good at mathematics, thirty minutes is certainly not enough for him. He flipped through the pages of the textbook, trying to memorise the formulas, but as always, they have a strong repulsion. Groaning, he laid his head on the table as he gave up on studying. As he was about to drift into a daydream, a paper ball landed on his head.

He didn't have to look around to see who had thrown it. Uncrumpling the paper, he read the message written on it.

**_Don't worry. I'll study with you if you ever need it :)_ **

Turning his head to the side, he smiled gratefully at Taehyun who was trying to cheer him up. Thanks, Beomgyu mouthed to him silently.

"Ok, time's up. Put your textbooks away," Mrs Jung's voice boomed. They did as they were told and Mrs Jung passed down a stack of test papers. After taking a piece, he passed down the stack and wrote his name on the paper.

"Ok, you have an hour, you can start," Mrs Jung announced. Beomgyu froze when he saw the questions on the first page. He has no idea how to do them. Picking up his pen, he tried his best to write out some workings and continued with the rest of the paper, which were not as difficult as the first few questions, but still posed a difficulty to him.

"Time's up, pass down your papers," Mrs Jung told them when the bell signalling the end of the lesson rang. After all of them handed their papers, they were allowed to leave for break.  
  
*  
  


"How's the paper?" Taehyun asked as they walked along the corridors to get to the cafeteria. Taehyun had his arms linked with Beomgyu and was carrying Beomgyu’s backpack, they were garnering lots of attention from the students, but Beomgyu tried his best to ignore their stares. "It was hard, but I tried writing something. My brain's so fried," he sighed. "Don't worry, the test is over. For now, let's try to get your brain into its normal working condition with some food," Taehyun told him with a small smile as he patted Beomgyu’s head. His heart started pounding harder when Taehyun did that. _Aah...he’s having all sorts of reactions to Taehyun now._

"The subject of today's headlines are finally here!" Yeonjun cheered when he saw Taehyun and Beomgyu walking towards their table. "What headlines?" Beomgyu asked curiously and Soobin whipped out his phone and showed Beomgyu a post on their school's gossip site. " _The Boy Who Snatched Mr Popular's Heart_ ". Beomgyu shook his head upon seeing that and returned Soobin's phone back to him.

"When did this happen?" "When were you gonna let us know?" Soobin and Yeonjun ask at the same time. Beomgyu scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, preparing himself for the inevitable barrage of questions as Taehyun chuckled to himself beside Beomgyu. "I'll go get you some food and then leave three of you alone to talk," Taehyun whispered to Beomgyu as Taehyun tried to hold back his smile, leaving Beomgyu alone to answer his friends. _That traitor._

"Calm down, I'll answer your questions one by one," he held both his palms out as his friends approached him in what seemed like a dangerous manner.

Beomgyu spent the whole of the lunch break explaining to his friends what happened between Taehyun and him as they giggled to themselves. "I knew this was going to happen," Soobin smiled triumphantly as Beomgyu shrugged. "So did you all kiss?" Yeonjun asked with a goofy smile and Beomgyu bit my lip. Is it a good idea to discuss this with his friends in the school cafeteria?

"Actually..." Beomgyu started to say but was cut off by the ringing of the school bell. _Yes!_ He cheered to himself silently as he gave his friends a fake grin. "Guys...I would love to answer your questions, but I'm gonna be late for class, so...see you guys later!" He shouted as he jogged out of the cafeteria, leaving his friends protesting behind him. He laughed silently to himself before making his way to the classroom for his History class.

*   
  


Time passed pretty quickly that day and soon, he was attending his last lesson for the day, Literature.

He was jotting down notes when suddenly he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

Taking out his phone, he checked his message under the table and saw that it was Huening kai texting him.

**_Huening Kai: Hey Beomgyu, can I meet you after school today?_ **

His eyebrows quirked up. _What's up suddenly?_ It had been some time since he saw Huening Kai and he almost forgot that he was supposed to help Heejin take her revenge. He should let her know that he not able to help her anymore. With that, he made a mental note to text her after school.

**_Beomgyu: What's up? :o_ **

**_Huening Kai: I need to talk to you. It'll only take a while._ ** **5**

**_Beomgyu: Ok. Where should I meet you?_ **

**_Huening Kai: In the school parking lot?_ **

**_Beomgyu: Okay._ **

After that, he continued with his note taking until the remaining thirty minutes of lesson was up.

When the bell rang, he packed up his bag and went to the parking lot to meet up with Huening Kai but not before sending a text to Taehyun who was having his swim practice today.

**_Beomgyu: Good luck with practice, I'll make my way home myself today <3_ **

**_Taehyun: Ok, be careful <3_ **

"Beomgyu!" he heard Huening Kai's voice and Beomgyu looked up to see his head sticking out from his car's windows. He waved back and brisk walked over.

"Get in, I'll have that talk as I send you home," Huening Kai gave Beomgyu a small smile and he nodded as he thanked him.

As he got into the passenger's side of the car, he wondered what Huening Kai wanted to talk about all of a sudden.


	26. Chapter 26

"I heard you're dating the Kang guy?" Huening Kai started to say. _Kang guy? Taehyun?_ "Yeah," Beomgyu nodded his head. "I see," his response was curt.

"So what is it that you wanted to talk about?" Beomgyu asked, curious. "You'll see, Beomgyu," he answered, with a hint of...malice? He turned to look at Huening Kai, wishing that his eyes were playing a fool of him but they weren't.

Heuning Kai had a dark look and a hint of a smirk on his face. He felt like another person. A stranger.

"Huening Kai, are you okay?" Beomgyu asked out of concern and he nodded. "Yeah. Why not?" And flashed a smile for him, but his intuition told him that it was forced. You know what they say...trust your instincts, intuition never lies.

Huening Kai had something up his sleeve. And Beomgyu is not curious to find out. At all.

"Huening Kai, I forgot that I had something on. Will you drop me off?" Beomgyu asked, trying to sound as neutral as possible, despite worry filling him.

"No can do, there's something I need you to know," he turned to Beomgyu with a malicious grin. _Huening Kai figured out._

"Huening Kai! Let me out! This instant!" Beomgyu voice was rising as he began to panic.

"Shut up," Huening Kai muttered coldly, ignoring Beomgyu words as the continued to stare at the road ahead. He tried to open the car doors, but they were locked. He tucked on the handle, but it just would not budge. "I said, shut up!" Huening Kai screamed and Beomgyu silenced himself.

He had not seen this side of Huening Kai, and it scared him. "Now, that's a good boy," he smiled sweetly, which made Beomgyu feel sick.

As Beomgyu eyed the steering wheel, an idea came to him and he began to put his hands on the wheel and tried to swerve the car to a stop. However, before he could cause anything to happen, a blow against his head knocked him unconscious.

*  
  


When he regained consciousness again, he was in a dark room with a high ceiling and the only light source was from a little window located at the very top. The place did not spell pleasant, and the odor of rust and oil filled his nostrils every time he tried to breathe. He tried to move his arms, which felt sore, only to realize that he was bound to the chair that he was sitting on. He tried to make any sort of noise, to call for help, but a duct tape was taped over his mouth and he could not form any words.

He tried to recall what happened earlier, but was met with a head ache. _Which idiot hit him so hard on the head?_ He tried to project his voice and a minute later, in walked an unfamiliar man who seemed to be in his 40s and Huening Kai following right behind him.

_What...?_

His eyes widened and memories from when he was with Huening Kai in his car flashed before his eyes.

_Did Huening Kai just kidnap him? But why?_

He tried to ask a question and Huening Kai walked over and yanked the duct tape off his lips. _Ouch._ He winced at the pain.

"Why am I here?" he asked, anger consuming him. Before Huening Kai could reply, the man who came in with Huening Kai answered. "I heard you're Taehyun's boyfriend."

"What does that have to do with anything?" he voiced, bewildered. An evil grin made its way up the man's face. "So the Kang did not tell you anything huh," he commented and he frowned. _What's that supposed to mean?!_

He turned his attention back to Huening Kai. "I trusted you. Why are you doing this?" Beomgyu questioned him, furious.

"You trusted me?" He gave a bitter laugh. "Didn't you approach me because of Heejin?" He asked, voice not holding any hint of emotion.

"You...knew?" Beomgyu asked surprised. "Course I do, I was the one who paid her to put on an act in front of you," he smirked and shook his head. "For someone who's supposed to be pretty smart, you certainly aren't," he commented and Beomgyu stared daggers at him.

How could she? Beomgyu trusted her. But then again, now that Huening Kai pointed it out, it did not make sense indeed. He did not contact Heejin after their encounter nor did she contact him and he had not seen her around school either.

Beomgyu hung his head low. Huening Kai is right, he wasn't being smart. At all.

"Why are you kidnapping me? Is it because of money?" He asked, his voice seeming tired. It felt like all energy was zapped out of him suddenly.

"You should ask your fiancé that question," he answered and Beomgyu rolled my eyes. "How am I supposed to ask him when I'm in this state. Its faster if you tell me," he sighed.

"Don't worry, he'll be here soon," he answered, smiling and Beomgyu’s heart skipped a beat. _Taehyun...is coming?_

"Huening Kai, keep an eye on him, I'm gonna need some beer for this shit," he barked orders and slammed the door behind him as he left, startling Beomgyu.

_Who's that guy?_

"My father," Huening Kai answered as he dragged a chair and sat in front of Beomgyu. "Why is he involved in this?" Beomgyu asked, bewildered.

"You'll know later," he gave Beomgyu a short answer.

He closed his eyes as he felt an oncoming headache. "Are you okay?" Huening Kai asked, sounding concerned.

He let out a bitter laugh. "For someone who hit me hard on the head, you sure are caring."

"Sorry, that wasn't me," he answered, seeming apologetic. Beomgyu frowned, why did Huening Kai's attitude take a 360 degree turn.

"Get some rest," he told Beomgyu, eyes downcast as he made his way outside.

_Way to go Gyu. Way to go._

He tried to yank his arms away from the rope but it was not working. Urgh. His stomach was grumbling and his throat was parched.

The only thought in his head at that moment was—what the hell does Huening Kai and his father want?


	27. Chapter 27

"Here, you should eat something," Huening Kai said, as he tried to feed Beomgyu. He turned his head the other way and kept his mouth clamped shut although he was so tempted to take a bite.

"Aren't you hungry," Huening Kai asked, but it was more of a statement as he ran his hand through his disheveled hair, which was already in a mess.

"Why are you so slow? If he doesn't want any food, then he doesn't get any!" A voice boomed from outside the room he was locked in, startling him. Huening Kai sighed and placed the food on the floor. "Sorry, just try to eat some," Huening Kai said sounding apologetic as he started to go. "How am I supposed to eat when I'm all tied up like this?" He took a chance, hoping that Huening Kai would untie the ropes around his sore arms.

Huening Kai frowned for a moment before walking over to untie his hands. _Yes! This is his chance to escape._

"If you're thinking of escaping, it’s best not to," Huening Kai advised, catching on to what Beomgyu was intending to do. With that, he left and locked the door behind him. Beomgyu quickly untied the ropes at his legs and tiptoed to the door and tried to turn on the knob and surprise surprise, it was locked. He groaned in frustration and looked around the room. Despite being untied, there's no way he could escape.

"Let me out!" he pounded on the door and heard the voice of Huening Kai's father on the other side of the door. "Why the fuck did you untie that brat?" He shouted at the top of his lungs. Beomgyu looked through the small peep hole to see Huening Kai being slapped tightly on his cheek.

Beomgyu winced as he saw how merciless Huening Kai’s father was to him. "What a weakling," his father said in a despising tone and gave Huening Kai a cold look which made Beomgyu shudder. _Is that his son they are talking about? How could he do this to his own son?_

Beomgyu frowned as he saw Huening Kai looking at him through the peep hole with a pained look and felt guilty although he was the one who kidnapped Beomgyu.

"Go and tie him up, don't make me knock him out again," his father warned mercilessly and walked off with a bottle of beer in his hand.

Beomgyu felt conflicted and sank down on the floor as Huening Kai unlocked the door and walked in, locking it behind him.

Beomgyu looked up at Huening Kai’s expressionless face and saw a bruise forming on the cheek where his father had hit him. "I'm sorry," Beomgyu muttered out as Huening Kai helped him up and led him to the chair.

"I'm the one who is sorry, I know that this is all wrong, but I couldn't help but obey my father," he said in a low voice as he tied Beomgyu up again.

Huening Kai picked up the food that he left on the floor and walked over to Beomgyu, bending down to his height. "If you don't eat, you'll starve to death before you even get the chance to get out of here," he convinced and Beomgyu looked up expectantly. "I'll be able to get out of here?" He asked, seeing a glimmer of hope. Huening Kai nodded, "the person my father wants to deal with is Taehyun, not you. I'll try to get you out."

"But what about Taehyun?" He frowned and Huening Kai kept quiet. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "You know this is wrong but you're still siding with your father? Although he treated you like that?" Beomgyu asked, in disbelief. "He has been through a lot. He wasn't like that in the past," Huening Kai sighed, reminiscing the past. "What happened?" Beomgyu asked and Huening Kai shrugged, "you'll know when Taehyun comes. For now, will you at least have a bite?"

Seeing how insistent Huening Kai was, Beomgyu took a bite of the rice that Huening Kai fed him when he suddenly heard a familiar voice shouting his name. _Taehyun?_

  
  
*

Beomgyu looked up, surprised just to see a frown etched in Huening Kai's forehead. "I'll be back," he said curtly and left the packet of rice on the floor before leaving the room.

"Gyu!" he heard Taehyun's voice call again and Beomgyu shouted back by calling his name. "Are you okay?" he heard Taehyun’s voice and before he could reply, he heard an 'oomph' followed by the sound of someone collapsing. "Tyun?!" he shouted again but was met by silence. His heart started beating faster and he felt a discomfort in his chest. _Taehyun...they didn't do anything to him, right...?_

That was what Beomgyu wanted to think, but another part of him was telling him otherwise. How would he explain the sound of the body collapsing?

A few minutes later, Huening Kai's father came in and taped a duct tape over Beomgyu’s mouth as Huening Kai carried an unconscious Taehyun into the room. "Tyun!" he wanted to shout, but only muffled voices came out.

After throwing a dirty look at him, Huening Kai's father left the room as Huening Kai tied up Taehyun's hands and legs onto a chair nearby.

"Tyun!" Beomgyu kept shouting his name, but Taehyun remained unconscious. "Shut up!" Huening Kai's father came into the room and stared at Beomgyu. The look that he gave him was cold enough to freeze the whole place over and Beomgyu shivered. Huening Kai’s father stared at Taehyun with so much hatred that Beomgyu could feel himself squirming. "If you continue making noise, don't blame me for what I'm going to do to Taehyun," he smirked at Beomgyu and he widened his eyes. His threat was enough to make Beomgyu shut his mouth for the next few hours, that is, until Taehyun woke up.

"Tyun!" he shouted when he saw Taehyun’s eyelids flutter open. "Gyu!" He tried to call out, but his lips were taped, just like Beomgyu.

"Well well, look who regained his consciousness," Huening Kai's father walked into the room with a sickening sweet smile on his lips. Huening Kai came in behind him and removed the duct tape over both of their lips. "Gyu! Are you okay?" Taehyun asked once he could speak clearly. Beomgyu nodded, before asking if he was okay. "Yeah," he replied before he turned his attention to Huening Kai.

"Huening Kai? Why did you kidnap us?" He asked, sounding furious before directing his attention to Huening Kai's father. "And who are you?" Huening Kai's father smirked and answered slowly, "you can call me Jaeho. As for why my son kidnapped you, I'll answer that on his behalf. That is because you and I, we have an unsettled grudge."

Taehyun frowned and looked clueless. "What are you talking about? I don't even know you." "Think harder, weren't you kidnapped once in the past?" Jaeho asked, cocking his head to the side with an evil grin.

_That...the kidnapping incident that Taehyun told him at the beach...!_

"You mean..." Taehyun widened his eyes. "Bingo, you got that right," Jaeho replied. "Looks like your parents didn't tell you the real reason you were kidnapped," Jaeho reckoned. Taehyun frowned when he heard that, "what?"

"I guess it makes sense, why would a parent tell his child that he ruined someone's life as well as his family's?" Jaeho muttered, loud enough for them to hear.

Taehyun furrowed his brows. It seemed like this was the first time he's ever heard of this.

"Aren't you curious what happened? Should we call your parents?" Jaeho asked and Taehyun shook his head, "You can tell me without having to trouble my parents." "What would be the fun in that?" Jaeho answered with a sinister laugh and dialed a number on his phone before putting it on loud speaker.

"Hello?" A masculine voice sounded at the other end of the line. _Mr Kang?_

"Do you remember me?" Jaeho asked with a hard look on his face.

"Sorry, you are?" Mr Kang asked.

"It’s saddening that you don't remember me, Kang Taejin," Steven answered in a sarcastic tone.

"Jaeho?" Mr Kang asked, surprise etched in his voice.

"That's right. How have you been? After throwing me in jail for the last ten years?" Jaeho replied.

"You...you're out already?" Mr Kang asked and Jaeho replied with a short "yes I am" before asking Mr Kang if he wanted to know the reason he called.

"Yes, is something the matter?" Mr Kang asked and Jaeho held the phone out to Taehyun. "I've got your precious son and son in law with me at the moment," he told Mr Kang.

"What?" Mr Kang's voice boomed over the speaker. "Don't you dare do anything to them!" He warned. "Or what?" Jaeho taunted. "I'll have you arrested again!" Mr Kang told him. "You can try," Jaeho snarled as he punched Taehyun in the face. "Tyun!" Beomgyu shouted worriedly as he saw blood on Taehyun’s lips.

"Why don't you let your son pay back for what you've done to me and my family?" Jaeho barked before hanging up.

"You're curious what your father did aren't you? I'll tell you," Jaeho began as he walked to the back of the room to fetch a rod.

Beomgyu’s heart started pounding harder in his chest and he could hear his pulse in his ears. What is he going to do to Taehyun? He could feel tears in his eyes as he imagined what was going to happen next.


	28. Chapter 28

Beomgyu cringed at the sound of wood being dragged against the rough concrete and felt himself freeze when he sensed Jaeho's presence behind him. The hair at the back of his neck stood at its ends and he tried to steady his uneven breaths.

"Once upon a time..." Jaeho started to say and Beomgyu looked up to see him making his way to the front of the room. "There was a man with a happy family. He had a son and a wife." _Is he talking about himself now?_

"His business was going well and his income was more than enough to support his family," Jaeho continued. "One day, a wealthy and powerful businessman approached him and asked for a cooperation between the two of them." _Was the businessman Taehyun's father?_

"The businessman offered to support the man's business and should anything happen, he would lend his hand. The man was persuaded and agreed to the cooperation. The cooperation was going well, until he suddenly started to lose money. The businessman persuaded him to sell his shares and he did so." At that, Jaeho paused to snicker at himself whilst shaking his head.

"One day, he was called to a board meeting for the shareholders and it was then that the man found out that he had been backstabbed by the powerful businessman. The businessman bought his company's shares and took over his position as CEO of the company, and combined both the companies. He became unbeatable." Upon hearing that, Beomgyu’s eyes widened and he could not believe his ears. _Is Mr Kang really such a person?_

"After compensating the man, he kicked him to the curb and left him to fend for himself. The man, left with no choice, kidnapped the businessman's only son, but was thrown into jail for 10 years instead. As if that wasn't enough, his wife left him and in a matter of days, he lost everything," Jaeho finished with a sombre look. "Now, who do you think is at fault?" He asked mockingly and looked at Taehyun who was silent all this while. It must've come as a shock to him.

"Why are you so quiet now?" Jaeho laughed. "Your happiness was built on someone's misery. How the hell do you feel?!" Jaeho barked and with a swing of the rod, Taehyun fell to the ground. "Tyun!" Beomgyu called out, worried but Taehyun, who was in a state of shock, did not have much response.

"Finally, after ten fucking years. I've captured you again. Now, I can get my revenge, once and for all," Jaeho let out an evil laughter at that.

"I don't believe you," Taehyun finally bit out and that seemed to enrage Jaeho. "Stop deceiving yourself child. Looks like you need some beating for you to come to your senses," he shouted as he started to swing the rod again. "No!" Beomgyu screamed at the top of his lungs. "Stop!" Beomgyu shouted again as he yanked on the roped tied around his hands.

"Huening Kai, get that brat out of my face!" Jaeho ordered his son and Beomgyu was dragged out of the room by Huening Kai. "No, wait, stop!" Beomgyu protested but was ignored. "Huening Kai! Untie me!" he shouted, but Huening Kai took no heed to his words and led him to another room. "Sorry, but this is the only thing I can do for you. You do not want to get beaten by him," Huening Kai apologized before locking Beomgyu in the room.

"Huening Kai! Come back! Huening Kai!" Beomgyu called after him, but he did not turn his head back.

*

Beomgyu was getting impatient and no words could describe how worried he was for Taehyun. _Is he okay? What if Jaeho beats him to death! What if..._ All sorts of thoughts filled his head and the more he think, the more anxious he got. After what seemed like eternity, he heard the door knob turn and in walked Huening Kai...with a badly injured Taehyun behind him.

Beomgyu’s eyes widened at the sight. "Tyun!" he shouted when he saw that Taehyun was barely keeping his consciousness. "Tyun!" he tried again, but he did not reply him.

After tying Taehyun against a chair next to him, Huening Kai left the room, a frown on his face.

He turned his head and faced Taehyun who was trying his best to keep himself together and tears pricked at his eyes. Taehyun slowly turned to face Beomgyu and gave him a small smile before wincing from the pain the cut on his lip brought.

"Why the hell did you come!" Beomgyu asked, his voice breaking as tears threatened to spill out. "How can I not come when that asshole had captured you?" He answered, sounding weak. "You were the one he wanted. He wouldn't hurt me," Beomgyu told him. "I wouldn't take the chance, especially when the guy I love is in his hands," Taehyun replied and that was it. It was like something within Beomgyu broke and his tears rained down his cheeks.

"Tyun..." he cried. "I'm just glad you are okay," Taehyun told him. "But you are not okay," Beomgyu mumbled. "I'm fine as long as you are," Taehyun tried to calm him down with a gentle smile but that just made him cry harder. **  
  
**

*  
  


It had been three days. Three days since they were captured. His stomach was growling from hunger and his throat was parched. Taehyun and him were fed only a meal a day, and they were barely keeping themselves awake. Huening Kai had "kindly" disinfected Taehyun's wounds, but no matter what they say, he wouldn't let them go.

It was night time now, in a few more hours, it would have been four days since they had gone missing. He wonder if any of their family members noticed. He pretty sure they did, but why is it that nobody has found them. He was worried about Taehyun, he's getting weaker by the day. Beomgyu is afraid that Taehyun would not be able to make it out of here.

  
*  
  


It was hard for him to fall asleep despite the fatigue his body is feeling, and he was annoyed when he was woken up by Jaeho's loud booming voice. Shit. It had been four days since he last saw Jaeho and he is looking as bad as Beomgyu last remember him, if not, even worse.

"How are you feeling? Or should I say, how are you surviving?" Jaeho smirked. Beomgyu and Taehyun both ignored him as he went on. "Oh, you guys won't answer me," he finally figured out as he shook his head. "This won't do. I'll make you talk," he muttered as he walked to the end of the room and fetched himself a bat. _Why the hell they are there so many weapons here?!_

Beomgyu freaked out when he figured out what Jaeho was going to do. "No," he squeaked. "What? I couldn't hear you," Jaeho eyed him menacingly. "Don't touch him. You can hit me all you want," Taehyun warned and Beomgyu turned to look at him. "No, you can hit me, don't hit Taehyun anymore!" Beomgyu pleaded.

Jaeho laughed sadistically. "Haven't you heard of the saying beggars can't be choosers?" He asked and with that he walked over to Beomgyu. He was about to swing the bat when all of them heard the blaring police sirens.


	29. Chapter 29

"Fuck," Jaeho cussed as he rummaged his hands through his grey hair. "Who called the damn police?!" He demanded to know, but none of us could give him an answer, or so Beomgyu thought.

"I did," they heard HueningKai mutter. Beomgyu’s eyes widened and he turned his head to him. All of them did. "What?" Jaeho's voice held a hard edge. He stormed towards his son and pulled him by his shirt collar. "Did you just stab me in the back?" He spat with fury.

"Dad, it’s time to stop. This...it’s not right," HueningKai said quietly, his head down. "You're a useless son, why the hell were you born?" Jaeho eyed his son with disgust, and brought up his clenched fist. He was about to punch HueningKai again when Beomgyu interrupted.

"I don't see how you're being a worthy father," Beomgyu spat as he looked at Jaeho defiantly. He didn't know what had come over him, but he felt the urge to speak up for HueningKai. He might have been his father's accomplice, but Beomgyu can't find it in him to put all the blame on HueningKai.

All eyes were on Beomgyu this time. He could see HueningKai's confusion and he frowned when Jaeho released him and walked over to Beomgyu. "What did you say?" Jaeho was red in the face. "Shouldn't you try to escape? Instead of running around here like an angry bull?" Beomgyu frowned at him and he saw Jaeho clench his teeth.

"You don't get to tell me what to do brat!" He barked and was about to slap Beomgyu when HueningKai stopped him by grabbing his arm. Surprise flashed across Jaeho's eyes for a split second before he resumed his previous incensed expression.

Beomgyu could tell that Jaeho was not used to his son's insubordination. "You–" Jaeho was about to say something when the door opened with a bang.

"Put your hands up!" The police officers commanded as they scuttled into the room with guns in their hands. Beomgyu let out a sigh of relief and turned to see a look of defeat on Jaeho's face as he raised his hands in surrender.

HueningKai hung his head as he surrendered to the police too.

While two policemen handcuffed and brought HueningKai and his father away, the rest came to help Taehyun and Beomgyu. He saw a look of relief on Taehyun's face as he was carried out in a stretcher and it was then that Beomgyu let himself lose consciousness.

  
*  
  


His heavy eyelids fluttered open and he shut them again due to the blinding light. "You're awake," he heard his mom's voice and tried to open his eyelids again. He felt drowsy and wanted to fall back into another sleep but he stopped himself. "Where am I?" He asked, his voice weak. "You're in the hospital," his father came to stand beside his mother. _Hospital?_ he looked around and saw a painting hanging on the wall as well as a vase of flowers on the table beside him. He’s indeed in the hospital.

"What happened?" He asked, his memories still foggy. "Did you forget? You were kidnapped, Taehyun too, and you were unconscious for an entire day," his mom told him, his brows knitted. "Oh...right, how is Taehyun?" he asked, anxious, when he recalled that he suffered pretty severe injuries. "He's in the room next to yours, he's still unconscious but he's out of danger," his dad told him.

He was about to lift himself out of bed when both his parents stopped him. "Beom, why don't you visit him when you're feeling better? You're still very weak," they tried to persuade him but he placed his hands on both theirs, "mom, dad, I'm fine now. Please let me visit Taehyun. After all, he suffered the beating because of me," he tried to plead with his eyes.

His parents frowned, but relented. "Okay, but tell us if you ever feel unwell, alright?" his parents made him promise them before they let him go. "Okay," he agreed before walking to Taehyun's room with the help of a walking aid.

He knocked a few times on Taehyun's door before Mr Kang opened it for him. "Beomgyu?" He was surprised to see him. "Why are you here? You should be resting," he asked concernedly. "I'm fine now," Beomgyu told him with a small smile before asking about Taehyun's condition.

"He's still unconscious, but come in," Mr Kang told him as he helped Beomgyu onto the chair beside Taehyun. "Mrs Kang, are you okay?" he asked, concerned, when he saw Mrs Kang's tired face. "Yes, thank you for worrying," she gave him a small smile before leaving the room with Mr Kang to give him some time alone with Taehyun.

He looked at Taehyun's peaceful face and cupped one of his hands in him. It pained him to see a few cuts on it. As he stared at Taehyun, he felt tears filling up his eyes.

It had just been a few days, but it felt like Taehyun and him had went through so much together. Just a month ago, he could never have imagined experiencing such a thing and that what he just went through would make him realise how much he can love someone.

"I love you," Beomgyu muttered aloud as he drew a heart on Taehyun's palm. He won't deny that he hoped for a reply but the room was silent except for the beeping sound of the heart monitor. _Please just wake up soon, Taehyun_ , he prayed silently in his heart.


	30. Chapter 30

He stirred in his sleep when he felt the weight of someone's hand on his head. Feeling annoyed, he turned his head the other way, and it wasn't easy for him to fall asleep. As he was about to drift back into dreamland, he stopped himself when he heard an all too familiar chuckle.

Lifting his heavy head, he rubbed his sleepy eyes open to see Taehyun grinning at him.

"You're awake!" Beomgyu beamed at him, all signs of sleep vanished. Taehyun smiled as he nodded at him. "How are you feeling?" Beomgyu asked him, concerned but he reassured him by saying that he was fine.

"Where's my parents?" He questioned and he looked around the room to find that Mr and Mrs Kang weren't there. "I sent them back in the wee hours of the morning, I guess they aren't here yet, its 7 in the morning after all," he replied, looking at the time on his phone.

"Oh," Taehyun nodded in understanding. "How about you, are you okay?" Taehyun asked him and he bobbed his head a few times. "I woke up the day before yesterday, the doctor said I can be discharged soon."

"I'm glad you're fine," Taehyun told him and Beomgyu sighed, "that should be my line."

"Do you want to grab some breakfast? I'm feeling a little hungry after that long sleep," Taehyun asked and he felt his stomach growl. It’s been awhile since he ate too.

"Okay, I'll go get some food. You stay here and rest, okay?" he instructed as he left the room, leaving Taehyun no chance to protest.

  
*  
  


He and Taehyun had just finished breakfast and Beomgyu was waiting in his ward because Taehyun wanted to talk to his father alone. Although Beomgyu wanted to know what happened between Jaeho and Taehyun’s father, but he knew that he was not in the place to intrude and Taehyun had promised that he would let him know once he had cleared matters up.

Feeling bored, he switched on the television and saw the news of HueningKai and Jaeho. It was reported that Jaeho was arrested and given a heavier penalty as it was a repeated offense . As for HueningKai, he was still under investigation as the police are waiting for the victims of the case to give their testimony.

He sighed. It was finally over. He thought he wouldn't be able to get through the last few days. Thinking made him tired, and before he knew it, he dozed off with the television playing in the background.

  
*  
  


He woke up to a pair of eyes staring at him _lovingly_. "Has the talk ended?" he asked, his voice sleepy. Taehyun nodded, a look of relief on his face. "I take it that it went well?" Beomgyu asked, smiling along as he sat up. "Yup, my father was helping Jaeho whose company was at the brink of bankruptcy. He did all he could and even paid Jaeho a large sum of money, but he still wasn't satisfied and resorted to kidnapping me. That was why my father sent him to jail."

He nodded in understanding as Taehyun explained to him what happened. "Oh, did you see the news on Jaeho and HueningKai?" Beomgyu suddenly recalled the broadcast on television a few hours ago. "I heard about it, we should make our way to the police station to give our testimonies soon," Taehyun answered. "Yeah."

  
*  
  


"You've really matured a lot since I first met you," he said to Taehyun, a small smile tugging on his lips. "I guess so, Before then, I wouldn't be able to imagine getting married under a contract." "Neither did I," Beomgyu mused as he shook his head.

Both of them were lazing on the sofa talking about all sorts of things, although he had already recovered from the incident, Taehyun still had several injuries. It seemed like ages since they came back to their apartment.

A few days ago, they went to the police station to give their testimonies and visited HueningKai and Jaeho at the same time. Taehyun apologized to them but explained what really happened as well. Jaeho still refused to believe Taehyun but it was clear to them that HueningKai was feeling guilty. Taehyun promised HueningKai to send his mother living expenses every month if he were to be jailed.

It was weird seeing the both of them on friendly terms but he was glad that all these was over.

Before they left the police station, HueningKai apologized to Beomgyu for his actions and even wished Taehyun and him on their marriage, which reminds him...

The wedding is in a week's time.


	31. Chapter 31

_Thump thump thump_

Beomgyu could feel the drums in his heart, as he sat dressed in his wedding tuxedo, waiting for the ceremony to start.

To be honest, he was still partly in a state of disbelief. Despite going through all the wedding preparations, he still found it hard to believe that a few hours later, he’ll be married to Taehyun.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror. He had on a some foundation on his face, some contours, a bit of blush, his lips covered in a clear lip gloss and his hair styled in a way, that a part of his forehead is slightly exposed.

"Mr Choi," an attendant called out to him from the door. "Please come this way, the ceremony is about to begin," she said in a friendly manner.

Taking a last look at the mirror, he exited the waiting room.

"Are you feeling the jitters?" The attendant whose name was Kim Yerim asked gently. He nodded with a nervous smile. "Don't be, you look absolutely handsome today," she said as she squeezed his clenched hands. "Thank you," he gave her a small smile. He was grateful for her words as she helped ease some of his anxiety. "Any minute now," Yerim gave him a huge smile as she wished him on his marriage before leaving.

The large wooden doors in front of him swung open and he could hear the orchestra playing the classical wedding songs.

His father, dressed smartly in a suit, came to his side as he escorted him down the aisle.

They say everyone dreams of their wedding day. He won't deny that he once dreamt of it when he was younger, but now that his dream was playing out in front of him... There were no words to describe how he felt.

He could feel every pair of eyes on him, but despite the attention, his eyes were only on one person. A certain brown-eyed man with a handsome grin. The same man who would be his husband.

Taehyun had his red hair swept up neatly, his hair retaining its place with the use of wax. He looked handsome in his white tuxedo and Beomgyu could see his sincere gaze fixed at him.

He could hear the snapping of cameras and guests cheering but the sound of his heart was the most prominent of them all.

"I'll leave my only son to you now, love him well," his father patted Taehyun's shoulder as he placed Beomgyu’s hand in Taehyun's and he felt his heart grow warm.

"We have come together—" the pastor started.

  
*  
  


"I, Kang Taehyun take you, Choi Beomgyu for my wedded husband, To love and cherish, For better or worse, for richer or poorer, In sickness and in health. From this day forward," Taehyun voiced his vows as he squeezed Beomgyu’s hands that were in his warm ones and Beomgyu could feel his eyes water.

It was his turn to say his marriage vows. "I, Choi Beomgyu take you, Kang Taehyun for my wedded husband, To love and cherish, For better or worse, for richer or poorer, In sickness and in health. From this day forward," he said his vows and the pastor blessed the rings before Taehyun and him exchanged them.

  
*  
  


"You may seal your vows with a kiss," the pastor said and Taehyun cupped his hands on Beomgyu’s cheeks before leaning in for a short but sweet kiss.

  
*  
  


The wedding ceremony was over and Taehyun and him were back in their suite. It had been a long day and they were both pretty worn out. "Babe" Taehyun called and Beomgyu felt his heart skip a beat as Taehyun came over and laid down on his lap. "What did you call me?" he asked, his voice soft. "Babe" Taehyun repeated his term of endearment to Beomgyu and he couldn't contain his smile. It was the first time someone called him that.

"I didn't know you like it that much," Taehyun chuckled as he played with Beomgyu’s fingers, eventually lacing his own long, slender ones through Beomgyu’s. He stuck out his tongue and turned his face the other way to hide the oncoming blush. "Are you blushing now?" Taehyun teased as he turned Beomgyu’s face to him.

"You should get used to such things husband," Taehyun smiled as he continued teasing Beomgyu. He tried to suppress his smile as an idea came to him.

Cupping both of Taehyun's cheeks, Beomgyu stared deeply into his and he could sense that Taehyun was a little taken aback when Beomgyu gave him a peck on his forehead. _No, he wasn't done._ He then gave Taehyun another peck at the tip of his nose before stopping at his lips.

Just as Taehyun thought Beomgyu was going to kiss his lips, he asked, "Why are you puckering your lips like a duck? What're you expecting?"

Taehyun's eyes snapped open in an instant and Beomgyu could see a tinge of pink on his cheeks. "You have to get used to this, hubby," Beomgyu teased him back and he shook his head laughing. "You shouldn't play hard to get baby, you're already mine," Taehyun smiled as he tried to tickle Beomgyu but he escaped before Taehyun had the chance to do that.

"If you can catch me," Beomgyu stuck his tongue at Taehyun before running into the living area.

"Come back here baby!" Taehyun shouted behind Beomgyu as they had a mini game of cat and mouse.

"Don't think of running," Taehyun breathed into Beomgyu’s ear as he wrapped his arms around Beomgyu’s waist, chucking. _Taehyun is too fast for him._ Beomgyu shook his head and conceded, "you win."

"We're married huh..." Taehyun voiced out and he nodded, "I guess we are."

"I'm glad that you are the one," Taehyun smiled as a smile made its way up his face. "I'm glad that you are the one too."

_He can't stop himself from smiling whenever he think back on the first time they met. Never would they have imagined... Although everything started out as a contract, He’s glad that it became so much more than that._

_-The End-_


End file.
